


Senki Zesshou Alternative: Sing in the Name of Love

by solopy567



Category: Senki Zesshou Symphogear, マブラヴ | Muv-Luv
Genre: Alien Invasion, Aliens, Alternate Universe, Apocalypse, Army, Crossover, Gen, Mecha, Military, Politics, Suffering, Swearing, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:00:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 30,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21738748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solopy567/pseuds/solopy567
Summary: Hibiki awakens in a world where mankind struggles for survival against a threat from beyond the stars. The places she knew ceased to exist, and her dearest friends and comrades have become strangers. Left with no choice in her pursuit of answers, she enlists in the military and joins the fight against the alien invaders. In a world where all hope has been lost and the sun does not shine, her stalwart conviction, forged and tempered by countless battles, will now be tested in the war for humanity's future.Important note: You can read this story even if you're not familiar with Muvluv. Further explanation in chapter 1.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 23





	1. Descent

**AN: Well, this is a crossover none of you could have expected!**

**Yes, I am indeed writing a crossover between Symphogear and the critically acclaimed visual novel Muv-Luv Alternative! It may be strange, but I assure you, great things await on the horizon.**

**For those of you who do not know anything about the world of Muv-Luv Alternative, fret not! This fic takes that into consideration. You will learn everything at the same time our protagonist does, making sure you can follow every piece of information that is alien to both you and her.**

**Do note: This fic contains spoilers for XV. If you had not watched that season, turn away until you do. Knowledge of Muv-Luv is not required, but watching all of Symphogear's seasons is.**

**That's all from me. I'll let the story do the rest of the talking.**

**Enjoy, and do make sure to leave a review!**

**-!-**

_Tik tok._

_Tik tok._

_The changing scenery. The battles won. The endless pursuit for justice finally put to a satisfying end._

_Life continues. The world moves on. The time of parting has long passed._

_Tik tok._

_Tik tok._

_Yet, the fight is not done. Where one ended, another began._

_Reality bends. Space warps. Time constricts. The flash of light at the end of the long tunnel draws nearer._

_The changing scenery. The battles lost. The endless pursuit for survival still rages wildly._

_Life is at jeopardy. The world stands still. The fires of war burn the landscape._

_And she, not of this place, sees the result of her unwavering courage._

-!-

"Hnnngg..."

The alarm clock rang loudly in her ears. Her eyes still shut, she reached over her head, seeking the bothersome contraption with her touch. Finally finding her target, she shut it off, and silence descended upon the room once more.

Despite that, she awakens. Her eyes flutter open, and she looked to her side to her companion.

"Miku...?"

Yet, no answer meets her inquiry. She stared through the half-shut slits, and touched the side of the bed where her partner slept regularly. To her mild surprise, she found that no one was there.

' _Maybe she's making breakfast already,'_ she thought to herself. A logical conclusion for sure; Miku was the more diligent of the two of them. Today was a Saturday, and as such, she felt no particular reason to hurry to get out of bed. But alas, she knew it would be a bad idea. Miku would yell at her again if she didn't wake up on time for once.

Pushing off the covers, Hibiki moved to sit on the foot of the bed. She stretched, appreciating the liberating feeling of her popping joints. Lowering her arms, she put on her slippers and stood. She scratched her belly mindlessly and made her way to the living room.

"Morning, Miku," she mumbled drowsily. Her eyes scanned the room, dimly illuminated by the sun shining through the blinds. Complete silence was her answer, confusing her sleep-addled mind further.

' _Maybe she went shopping?'_

How odd. Normally she'd have received a message from her partner telling her she'd gone out, but no such message had arrived. The solitude in the home was an alien feeling, one that she didn't really like.

Deciding to put it in the back of her mind, she wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge to get herself something to drink. Her eyes narrowed when she looked inside and saw that the internal light was not functioning; the air wasn't as cold as she remembered it either. She closed the fridge and went to turn on the lights in the living room, yet the switch gave no feedback to her press.

"A blackout?" she wondered aloud. That's strange. While it wasn't the first time they had one, blackouts were fairly rare in the apartment. When they happened, they usually affected more than one. Seeing as the artificial lights were non-responsive, she decided to open the blinds to let in some natural light.

Around the time the Adam Weishaupt Incident took place, Hibiki and Miku had decided to move out of the dorm and get their own apartment, both for privacy's sake as well as planning for the future. It was smaller than their dorm room back in Lydian, but it was a cozy place nonetheless. It was close enough to the school to walk to, and was also located next to a convenient train station. Initially, they weren't sure they could afford it, but Hibiki's salary from her work at SONG made it possible.

Following Adam's defeat, they had officially moved in. The acclimation period had been paused while Noble Red and Shem-Ha were dealt with, and now, a few months later, it became their new home. Hibiki loved it for many reasons, including the mature feeling it gave off as well as the privacy it granted her and Miku. While they had always slept together in the dorm, the fact that they now shared an apartment felt like another great step in their road to adulthood.

Their shared confession following Shem-Ha's defeat was the cherry on top of a very sweet cake. Finally at peace, Hibiki felt great optimism for her future.

And it all came crashing down the moment she opened the blinds to the outside.

She froze, her mouth gaping and her hands falling to her sides in an instant. Her breath stopped, and her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

Hell. That was the only way she could describe it.

The sprawling metropolis of Tokyo, that she remembered as one of the most advanced in the world, lay in complete ruins. No, it couldn't even be called a ruin; there was simply nothing there. All of the skyscrapers and office buildings she remembered, as well as the various apartment complexes she could see from her window were simply gone as if they were never there. The morning sun did not illuminate a bustling city, but rather what could only be described as a desert void of all life, not out of place from a post-apocalypse film.

For a moment, Hibiki thought she was hallucinating or still dreaming. This was the only way this landscape could ever be truly explained. This was a dream, a nightmare she was seeing after watching too many movies with Chris and Kirika. Maybe this was because of that one anime she had seen with Genjuro during training. It couldn't be anything else. This could not be reality.

Instinctively, she closed the blinds again. The light in the room dimmed again as they blocked the sun's rays. She took a deep breath, calming herself down. She looked back towards the apartment at large, burning the sight of its crisp and clean interior into her mind. The dissonance between the inside and the outside was far too large. Nothing but a dream could explain this oddity.

She made her way to the kitchen sink. Maybe she was still half-asleep, so a nice dash of cold water ought to wake her up. She threw open the faucet, and a small smile crept up her face.

Only for it to immediately turn into a frown when the water failed to flow. No power and no water, a rare combination that only took place during massive renovations or maintenance checkups. If those were going on, she should've known. The landlord always informs them if such a thing were to take place.

But there was no such notice. No sounds of bulldozers blaring outside to give all the tenants a rude awakening. Flipping the faucet closed, she next ran to the front door, throwing it open.

Just like the outside, the difference between the hallway and the apartment was far too large. The walls sported giant, gaping holes, giving a view to the outside and letting air inside. She stepped into the hallway, looking left and right to gauge the damage the building had apparently sustained while she was sleeping.

Panicking all over again, Hibiki dashed to the neighbouring flat, peeking inside through the open doorway. The apartment, as well as all of its interior, was completely missing. Only bare chunks of concrete and wood kept whatever was left together, while the rest had seemingly been blown to bits. The wall that separated her own apartment and this one was damaged, but still whole.

"W-wha—"

' _What is happening!?'_

She ran again, this time to a different apartment, hoping to lay her eyes upon a better sight. Yet, no matter which one she checked, each and every flat on the floor was in tatters, either ruined as if a tornado had passed through it or obliterated beyond recognition.

She couldn't believe it. She didn't dare believe it. There was absolutely no way this was happening. There was no way the city had been destroyed in just a single night while she was sleeping. There was no way she could've missed such a catastrophic event even if she tried. Even if it happened while she was sleeping, there was no way those at SONG wouldn't alert her right away.

Unless...

Her fear growing all the greater with each passing moment, she ran back to her own apartment. Its pristine condition was now both greatly comforting as well as concerning. How was it possible that her own apartment was still standing?

But more importantly, if Miku wasn't here, and the city was completely gone, then—

Her heart beat a mile a minute as she leaped for her phone on her nightstand, determined to give her partner a call to check on her wellbeing.

"No signal!?" she yelled, confirming the 'No service' alert popping up in her notifications. Hurriedly, she reached for her SONG communicator instead, flipping the switch open to establish a link.

"HQ, this is Hibiki! Please come in!"

However, what met her ears was only heart-wrenching static. "HQ, come in! What's going on!?"

Yet, no matter how many times she repeated her plea and begged for answers, there was no one on the line to give them to her. The static only continued, confirming that she could not in any way contact SONG HQ. With her phone lacking signal, and her communicator picking up nothing, she had no way to check on the status of her comrades and friends.

And she had no way to check if Miku was alright either. That thought, more than anything else, filled her with so much dread she could barely hold back her tears. Deciding to take action and check out what was going on herself, Hibiki threw off her pajamas and dressed herself anew in record time. She took her bag and threw in both her phone and communicator together with other essentials. Not wasting another second, she dashed outside, leaving the clean apartment behind in her search for answers.

She passed by the ruined flats on her way down, and practically leaped down the stairwell as soon as she noticed that the elevator was quite obviously out of commision. Their apartment was only on the third floor, so she made it to the lobby quickly. It, just like the rest of the building, was in ruins. Nothing was left of the kind concierge's desk, an old man in his sixties who they'd often give some leftovers to. With the glass sliding door gone, nothing stopped Hibiki from heading outside.

She once again gaped as she took in the sights. She could see ruins for miles, shocked at how catastrophically leveled the city was. Hardly any buildings remained standing, and even the asphalt roads had been completely turned into pure dirt. It was as if the entire city was just uprooted from its foundations, leaving behind what could only be called a barren wasteland.

Looking back at her apartment building, she once again let out a gasp at its sorry state. Parts of it were missing completely, exposed metal bars sticking out from within its frame.

"How... How..."

She couldn't fathom how this was possible. Overnight, her entire world had been turned upside down.

This... this...

This wasn't a dream. This was far too real to be a dream anymore. Looking off into the distance, she couldn't even see the former concert hall where the Zwei Wing Incident had taken place. It had remained both as a marker and a memorial to the tragedy, and was never torn down after all these years. Yet, just like that, it was gone along with everything else. She could see so far as to have a view of Mt. Fuji in the far distance, blurred over the horizon.

She couldn't stay here. Once again she broke into a run, dashing towards the port where SONG HQ was anchored. Following the Kadingir Incident, HQ was transferred over to a submarine, its newfound mobility allowing them to deploy in far more locations than previously possible.

That was the only place on her mind at the moment. She dearly wanted to go look for Miku, but she had to get some answers. Only those in HQ would know anything about what was happening.

As she passed by the former heart of the city, more and more her shock deepened. The ruin and desolation were beyond frightening. Not a single soul remained in the wreckage of what was once Japan's capital city. Many locations she knew and had frequented were either collapsed into dust or simply didn't exist anymore.

The destruction expanded as far as the eye could see. The weirdest part of it all, she realized, was that the ruins didn't look all that new. No fires still burned and no dust rose into the air from the soft breeze. It was as if the destruction had occurred a long time ago, and she had awoken right in the middle of it.

But _how?_

She came to a stop in the middle of her run when she came across Flower, the okonomiyaki shop she frequented with Miku and her schoolmates. The building, just as she feared, was destroyed beyond recognition. However, that wasn't the strange part.

For right on top of the ruins of the shop lay the remains of a giant machine.

"Is that...a mecha?"

She had seen and heard of such things in some of the anime Yumi spouted about, as well as a few of Shirabe's and Kirika's combined attacks. Yet, this thing looked nothing like them. Light blue in color, only the torso and a left arm remained of what she assumed was its original humanoid form. Its center was blown apart, as if something from within had exploded violently. The metal creaked as it leaned on its mangled stump and the remaining wall of the restaurant. As she studied the strange mecha, she caught sight of a faded out emblem on the back of its shoulder. She couldn't make out what it said, however, she could tell one thing with certainty.

This thing had been here for a while. Its scratched and dusty paintjob proved it. Further bewildered by the appearance of the machine, she turned away from it and once again broke into a run, all the more desperate for answers.

And just as before, every landmark and sight she was used to was completely gone. Parks were gouged out, rivers dried, and bridges collapsed. It was more akin to the aftermath of a war or a natural disaster, yet she highly doubted she'd have missed either of those in a single night.

It had to be the work of an enemy. It could not possibly be anything else. Was it Shem-Ha? An alchemist? An enemy organization? Whoever it was, she couldn't believe that they could destroy an entire city right under her nose. Did the others even know about this?

What the hell was going on?

She finally reached the harbor, sweating profusely from her non-stop sprint. She came to a stop, taking the time to catch her breath as she studied the port, hoping to find the submarine. However, no matter how many times her eyes darted, she couldn't see it anywhere. She took the communicator out of her bag and tried to hail them again, but was met with only static once more.

"Maybe...they went underwater?" she wondered. Perhaps the enemy was so overwhelming that SONG had been forced to retreat, diving beneath the sea in order to regroup. It would explain why she couldn't contact them with her communicator...although that has never been a problem before.

She stood on the edge of the port, staring out into Tokyo Bay with a hardened expression. Her grip tightened on the communicator, and she put it back in her bag.

"So I'm on my own," she said with a sigh. "I have to find out what's going on."

The only destination she had in mind at the moment was Lydian. She wanted to look for Miku, but she knew that running around screaming her name without being able to contact her would yield her no results. The only other place she could go to was the school, in the hopes that maybe there was somebody there she could speak to. With her next destination set, Hibiki turned on her heel and resumed running, this time heading for the hill that led up to the school campus.

Her run once again took her through the city's ruins, this time through another area she recognized. It was just so bizarre, even though she was used to seeing destruction. Every single major battle she had been involved in caused huge amounts of damage to the city, and most of it remained even after they had settled down. That was just how much she was used to it.

However, two reminders that she was used to seeing were nowhere to be found.

The crumbling tower of Kadingir and the fallen Chateau de Tiffauges were completely gone.

The latter she could maybe understand if it was gone, but the former she couldn't explain. Of all the missing pieces of the puzzle, that was the strangest one. The tower had served as a memento of a bygone priestess, as well as the symbol of her battle against the Curse of Balal. Following Shem-Ha's defeat, Hibiki had wondered what Fine would've thought if she had known what the Curse's true purpose was.

What would she have done if she knew that it was put in place by her lover to protect her and humanity? How would her own meeting with her, and subsequently her own destiny, change her? Questions that Hibiki knew she'd never get answers to raced through her mind, together with the confusion around that memento's sudden absence.

To further her shock, the small forest of trees on the hill was apparently untouched by the destruction. She remembered her first battle with Chris there all that time ago, and the place where Tsubasa had used her Climax Song to defeat her. To see it of all places still standing was as odd as it was comforting. Maybe the school was still in one piece!

But then, against all odds, she ran into a roadblock. Her run came to a stop as she came across a battalion of soldiers, all wearing uniforms she did not recognize, gathered around a half a dozen military vehicles in the middle of the road. They seemed to be frantic, hurrying one by one inside the forest without even looking her way. The man she assumed to be the commander of the troops screamed various orders she couldn't quite make out over all the noise.

"Huh?" she muttered, puzzled by the sight. As the last of the footsoldiers made it inside the forest, the battalion commander paused and immediately looked her way. Both of their eyes widened as they made contact, and the man, clearly panicked, ran to her as fast as he could.

"You! Girl! What are you doing here!?" he barked at her. Hibiki had to take a step back in surprise at the tone of his voice. "This is a restricted area! How did you even get in here!?"

"H-huh!?" she let out. "I-I don't understand! What's going on!? What happened to the city!?"

"What do you mean 'what happened to the city!?' It's been off-limits to civilians for over two years! How did you pass by the security checkpoint!? Who are you!?" he yelled again, thundering towards her with clear anger on his face.

His words shook her to the core. She stared at him with a stupefied expression, unable to truly comprehend what he just said. "W-what? Off-limits? For two years!? But I live here! I'm a student of Lydian! Please, tell me what's going on!"

It was now that she noticed that his helmet had the initials of the United Nations etched onto its front. U.N troops? In the middle of Tokyo? How?

[ _(Play: Close Attack - Muv-Luv Alternative OST)_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ksJLUzLm5c&list=PLTQImNwft-Cw_ut4MAekHzOfWnBnRQYMI&index=15)

"You—!" he began. Then, all of a sudden, the ground shook mightily, nearly throwing the two of them off their feet. The man gritted his teeth in fury, hurriedly looked towards the forest, and then back to her again. "Listen very carefully girl! I don't know who you are or what you're doing here, but you must leave at once! It is very dangerous here!"

Hibiki balanced herself a moment later, gazing up at him in a panic as well. "What's going on!? Is it the Noise!?"

She didn't recall them being able to do something like this! Hell, they shouldn't even be around anymore! What the heck was happening!?

"Huh!? Why the hell would the Noise attack us!?" he yelled. "I don't have time for this! You must leave at once! Run as far as you can!"

Leaving those alien words behind, he swiftly turned around and ran into the forest.

"W-wait!" Hibiki called out to him, yet he didn't heed her words. All the while the ground continued to shake, and both her confusion and concern grew by the second. What did he mean by what he said? She couldn't understand it at all!

The pit in her stomach grew deeper when she heard the sound of gunshots ring out over the forest. The birds perched in the treetops scrambled to the skies and fled from the scene of a battle that Hibiki could not see.

She clenched her teeth. This was no time to stand around and be confused! She didn't know who these soldiers were or what they were fighting, but by their panic, it seemed extremely serious!

And the worst part of it all, by the look in the commander's eyes, she felt as though they expected not to come back. Whatever enemy it was they were battling, they were expecting not to win the fight. She couldn't allow that. Tachibana Hibiki would never stand aside and watch helplessly as people died!

She tossed her bag aside and dashed into the forest. She took out her relic pendant as she ran, grasping it tightly in her hand. She looked ahead, her stare resolute, and began the holy chant that would grant her the power to save others.

" _Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron!"_

-!-

A certain reading that they thought they'd never see again suddenly came to life on the console. The operator, sitting at her station, stared with wide eyes at what was being displayed.

"What's going on!?" her superior shouted behind her.

"Sir! We're... We're detecting an Aufwachen signal!"

"What!?"

She transferred the readings over to the larger screen, allowing command to see it themselves.

"Impossible..." her superior muttered. "Is that..."

His shock could not be described.

"Gungnir!?"

-!-

The light around her died down, revealing the armored-clad form of her Symphogear, Gungnir. Imbued with the power it provided, she dashed forward with unparalleled speed, rushing through the trees to the heart of the forest. Normally, when she transformed, she'd sing to increase the strength and efficiency of her Gear to the max. It wasn't all that necessary against enemies like the Noise, who were defeated with a single punch even without it. Still, it gave her courage and resolve, and she had grown to love singing as a result.

Yes, that's what usually would've taken place, even if she was in the midst of witnessing a massacre.

However, this time, the song died in her throat the moment she reached the open clearing in the heart of the forest.

[ _(Play: Breach - Fate Stay Night OST)_ ](https://youtu.be/FhQPngCsbPI)

"Guuaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh—!"

"You bastards—!"

"Don't let them get through! Hold the line even if it costs you your lives!"

"Uuyyyaaaaaaaaaa—! Help me—!"

It was hell.

Fire raged. The blaring sound of relentless and panicked gunfire gave way to pure anguish, and she stared in horror at what met her sight. The soldiers that she had seen rushing into the forest were standing their ground, their guns aimed forward at the advancing enemies.

Enemies that she could only describe as absolutely disgusting.

She had never seen such grotesque monstrosities before in her life. Not even the Noise, the most alien-looking opponents she had ever faced, ever looked as horrifying as these. Their skin looked pale, cold, and slimey, and it was as if she could see the veins underneath widen and contract. Their upper body was human-like, with long arms displaying warped muscles that looked as if they could shatter rocks. The tall, mushroom-shaped head was dominated by a large, almost humanlike maw. Their lips were pulled back, exposing broad, flesh-rending teeth, some with bits of viscera still stuck between them. Above them, almost as an afterthought, sat two black holes; eyes, perhaps.

Yet that wasn't the worst part. Their lower body was a nasty, bulging sack of fat, at the bottom of which eight small legs, just like an insect's, carried them forward. And at the front of it all was a crimson slit, reminding her of a—

She held back the urge to hurl. Whatever these monsters were, however, they were shockingly fast. The soldiers fired repeatedly, downing dozens and dozens of the monsters with every barrage. Yet, no matter how many they killed, dozens more swarmed from a huge hole in the ground right in the middle of the forest.

Hibiki clenched her fists hard. Steeling herself, she rushed forward, aiming for the monsters that managed to break through the barrage. One of them was upon one of the soldiers, who in a moment of bad luck, ran out of bullets.

"Hiiiiiii—-!"

But before it could grab him, Hibiki came to the rescue. Her fist smashed into the side of the monster's face, and she once again held back the urge to hurl as the impact didn't cause it to explode in a shower of dust. No, instead, the monster's head was blown right off, and a spurt of blood erupted from the stump of its neck. It lurched forward, falling on top of the sandbag emplacement.

' _Eh? Blood?'_

The soldier stared at the monster's body with wide eyes, before turning to look at Hibiki.

Punching flesh always made her feel horrible afterwards, but something about striking this monster felt even more disgusting than usual.

"Get out of here!" she screamed to the soldier. Another one of the monsters advanced, this time aiming for her. It swiped at her with its arm, but she ducked under the blow. She struck it in the neck in return, and the sound of a nasty crack echoed in her ears. With its neck broken, the monster stopped moving and fell on its side.

"You are—!" she heard someone yell. She glanced back, noticing the commander she had spoken with earlier.

"You have to go!" she yelled in return. "Run as far as you can!"

Without missing a beat, she charged into the fray. Her limbs blurred as she struck the monsters, and each and every one she felled causing unexplained dread to build up within her.

What the hell are these things?

The way they moved and acted reminded her of the mindlessness of the Noise, yet they were so much more numerous, and their retaliation far more vicious. The monsters attempted to strike at her with their flailing arms, and even tried to bite her with their disgusting, rotten teeth. They scuttled along like oversized bugs, and each movement caused their flesh to wriggle and contort. Their teeth clattered together as they attacked her, but she responded in kind to their assault. They weren't particularly bright, but they made up for it with sheer numbers.

Any questions she had would have to wait. Humans were fighting against them, and it was her duty to protect people from threats like this.

Countless amounts of the monsters converged on her position, which is what she had been aiming to do. By making herself the focus, she could lure the monsters away from the troops, giving them ample time to escape.

But they did not heed her words. Being soldiers, they'd never turn away from the fight. The barrage of gunfire renewed itself, tearing into the monster ranks. They were falling, but just more and more kept on coming out of the hole.

Was it like the tear in reality that allowed the Noise to appear in the real world? Whatever was the case, she was resolved to take down these Not-Noise before they could hurt anyone. Punching these fleshy beings, however, turned out to be a much bigger effort than she had expected. They were far more resilient, and overall stronger than the Noise she knew.

She fought hard, way harder than she thought she'd have to. Thankfully, it seemed it was working; the monster wave was getting thinner, and their front line was being pushed back further and further towards the hole.

' _Okay, just a bit more—!'_

That thought was cut off by its roots when the ground began to shake once again. Then, out of nowhere, the hole from which the monsters exited exploded outwards in a shower of dust and rubble.

Hibiki watched it with wide eyes, and from within the dust cloud, something _gigantic_ emerged. She didn't even know how it was possible for such a huge thing to hide underground, but somehow, it was able to. Exiting out of the hole, the new huge arrival towered over herself, the troops, the other monsters, and even the trees in the clearing.

From her vantage point, it somewhat looked like a crab, with four dark-green stumpy legs and two claw-like appendages at its front. However, just like the smaller monsters, it was fleshy and grotesque, its skin-colored surface slimey and warping with every small movement it made.

Yet the weirdest part of it was the bald human head attached at the top of it towards the back of its body. It had a neck and a mouth showing those same rotten human teeth, yet it had no other features like eyes, ears, and nose.

"W-what...!?"

How?! How?! How?! How?! How?! How?! How?! How?! How?! How?!

What the hell is this thing?!

With it, a new, stronger wave of the smaller monsters arrived. Somehow over the noise she heard one of the soldiers scream in terror.

"A Grappler-class!? Here!?"

A grappler what? Was that this thing's designation? Do the smaller ones have one too?

She remembered the Noise had some, but she never bothered to remember them. It never mattered to her what they were called, as the only thing she cared for was saving the people being attacked by them. The size, name, or abilities were irrelevant; all she did was make sure her fist made contact with them.

However, to the soldiers, that very name gave rise to fear. They obviously knew something she didn't. In a heartbeat, their commander yelled to them above the noise.

"All units, stand your ground! Buy time for the pilots to arrive! Take down the Soldier-class!"

They're not running away!?

' _I have to do something!'_

[ _(Play: Chi wo Hossoru Senjou - Muv-Luv Alternative OST)_ ](https://youtu.be/BBRcf8JdncY?list=PLTQImNwft-Cw_ut4MAekHzOfWnBnRQYMI)

If it was this giant thing that was scaring them...then this is what she was going to do first.

The monster, which she decided to call Grappler, loomed over her. Its head twitched left and right and its teeth clattered together rapidly. It took the first step forward as it made its way to the soldiers' position; however, Hibiki would not allow it. Aiming for its legs, she struck out with her fist, hitting it head on. To her surprise, it wasn't blown off like she had expected.

"So you're a tough one...that's fine with me!"

It decided to retaliate, and stomped towards her with the leg she failed to destroy. She quickly jumped away, but was caught off guard when some of the smaller monsters turned on her again. She hurriedly blew them away, but the Grappler took advantage of the opening and struck at her with its claw-like appendage. Left with no choice, Hibiki brought her arms up to protect herself just as it smashed down at her. She held her ground as the monsters around her were blown away by the following shockwave, but she found herself struggling against the sheer weight behind the Grappler's blow. She heaved forward with a primal shout, throwing the claw off her. The Grappler took a step back, throwing up dust in the air.

Pouring power into her legs, Hibiki jumped. With a single leap, she made it to the top of the Grappler's body, landing upon the fleshy, slimy surface. It felt nasty to stand on, just as she had expected. However, her target was now in range. She eyed the human head carefully as it twitched and its teeth cackled.

Without wasting another moment, she charged forward with a shout, the thrusters on her back roaring to life. She struck it straight in the neck with her full power, and the pile bunker on her arm was released on impact.

The effect was immediate. The head was severed from the rest of the body, and was blown across the clearing to the far side of the forest. Her assault successful, Hibiki jumped down from the Grappler's body, expecting it to drop dead.

Only for its hulking form to turn to her faster than she could've seen coming. The giant claw smashed into her, and she screamed in pain as she was tossed aside like a ragdoll. She crashed into one of the trees lining the clearing, breaking its trunk and causing it to fall from the force. She fell to the ground in a heap as the headless Grappler turned to her fully, having designated her as an enemy to be destroyed.

"How...? I thought..."

She rose to her feet as it advanced on her way faster than its size should've allowed. Hurriedly, she jumped away as it tore through the trees, continuously swiping at her with its giant claws.

She had to formulate some sort of plan. As she dodged another strike that caved the ground, she remembered how she had defeated Shem-Ha's coffin in Antarctica. Her course set, she swiftly put it into action.

Avoiding its stomping, Hibiki ran underneath the Grappler's body and pulled both of her fists back in preparation for her strike. The gauntlets transformed, and the jets at their back roared as she put more power into her fists. With another guttural shout, she leaped upwards, striking with both fists together.

Naturally, they met their mark. The Grappler's body was raised off the ground for a split second before Hibiki tore through its midsection, carving a gigantic hole in its main body. Blood spurted out in all directions, covering her from head to toe. It smelled horrible, and once again she held back the urge to vomit as she turned in midair to study her handiwork.

This time, the Grappler was defeated. Its feet caved under it, and it fell to the ground with a loud thud. Hibiki landed near it, letting out a relieved sigh as she did so.

Okay, that was the big guy dealt with. Now, all she had to do was take care of the smaller monsters and help the soldiers again. Without wasting a single breath, she charged towards the herd, tossing them aside as easily as she did before.

However, she realized something major had changed. Mainly, the sound of gunfire had ceased completely, and now all of the monsters had turned their attention on her. Breaking through their formation, she made it back to the soldiers' defensive position.

And for the fifth time in a single day, held back the urge to throw up.

The soldiers had been killed. Every single one of them, including the commander she had spoken to and the soldier she had saved, was dead.

And the monsters were _eating_ them. They chewed on their remains like a flock of hungry vultures, tearing apart their stomachs and gorging themselves on their inner organs. Some were missing arms, some limbs, and a pair of unfortunate few had their heads chomped down to the point the brain had been turned to mush.

And through it all, the monsters kept on feasting. The ones not doing so sped towards her, attempting to inflict upon her the same fate.

The amount of disgust and anger she felt were immeasurable. On the verge of tears, Hibiki shouted, blasting each of the damned monsters apart with her bare fists.

"You...! You...! You...! Why did you kill them!?"

She didn't expect a response. The monsters proved to be as mindless as the Noise, yet much more horrible. Dying at the hands of the Noise at least was quick, but these monsters gave no such quarter to the soldiers. They killed them and disgraced them, violating their corpses in ways not even her worst enemies had done.

This was unforgivable!

Hibiki fought, holding back the tide now completely on her own. Yet, now matter how many she slew, more kept on coming from the hole in the ground, and the once beautiful clearing was filled with nothing but the corpses of the pale monsters.

And just then, not one, not two, but three Grapplers rose from the hole right after the other. Disregarding the body of their fallen members, they simply advanced forward, aiming for her.

She was surrounded on all sides. Standing alone against an endless army of enemies she had never seen before, Hibiki could only fight for dear life. She could hear her Gear creak with every move she made as more and more monster blood coated her.

She was running on nothing but adrenaline now, every bit of strength she had being drained as she was forced to put more and more power into blowing the monsters away.

"Ha... Ha... Ha..."

This was too much. This was way, way too much.

' _Am I going to die here?'_ she found herself wondering. Was she going to die, not knowing what happened to the city? To SONG? To her friends? To Miku?

No! She couldn't fall here! She had to—

And then the sound of gunfire filled the air once more. Except, this time, it was far louder, far more impactful, and far stronger than the regular soldiers'. The smaller monsters were blown to bits with a single bullet, and Hibiki was forced to cover her face to protect her eyes from the shower of blood and guts coming from their exploding bodies.

"W-what..."

And then, coming upon the three Grapplers from behind, were giant machines. Towering above even the Grapplers, the full-sized mechas advanced upon their position. With a single swing of the mecha's huge sword, the first Grappler was sliced in half. A second mecha riddled another with bullets, and the third was downed by a combination of both.

Hibiki could only look on with wide eyes. A unit of ten of mecha suddenly surrounded the clearing and assaulted the monsters, with another pair descending down the hole they had come from. Most of them were the same, grayish coloring as the one she had seen collapsed on top of Flower, while only one of them was of a deep, red color with purple accent. It even looked different from the rest of the machines in its unit.

And so, the mecha unit obliterated the monster ranks with barely a fight. Each and every one of the smaller, pale beings was gunned down or cut apart, and the once chaotic clearing filled with fire, blood, and unbearable noise fell into an eerie silence.

"Ha... Ha... Ha..."

Breathing was difficult. The sight before her eyes burned itself into her brain.

"What... How..."

Coated in blood, guts and sweat, Hibiki shuddered, feeling fear and awe like she hadn't for a very long time. The red mecha turned to its comrades, and the way it moved made her guess it was the leader among them. The gray machines turned away while the leader remained behind next to her position.

And then, to her shock, turned to _her_.

It took a few steps forward before stopping, its head tilted downwards in her direction. She stood in place, paralyzed, and watched as the mecha's torso opened upwards. The machine's left hand moved on its own in front of the open hatch, allowing the _person_ inside to climb out of what she figured was the cockpit. The mecha then crouched, allowing the pilot to jump down to the ground. It raised itself to full height afterwards, standing vigilant.

She stared at it in wonder, before turning to look at the pilot, now approaching her, and coming face to face with—

"Ogawa-san?!"

The man, whom she recognized as SONG's resident ninja Ogawa Shinji, stopped a short distance away from her. An unprecedented amount of relief washed over her, finally being able to meet up with someone she knows. Although, she didn't recognize the strange suit he was wearing. She had never seen anything like it before. Maybe it was a new ninja thing? She didn't know.

Regardless, she was overjoyed. Still caked in the monsters' blood, she jogged lightly towards him, dispelling her Gear in the process. Luckily, some of the blood vanished along with the armor, and her clothes reformed a moment later.

"Ogawa-san! I'm so glad to see you! Listen, I don't understand what's going on—"

"Put your hands in the air and don't move."

[ _(Play: Suspicion - Muv-Luv Alternative OST)_ ](https://youtu.be/mCW9FFSVjrg?list=PLTQImNwft-Cw_ut4MAekHzOfWnBnRQYMI)

She froze. Coming to a stop in front of him, she could only stare in confusion at the gun he suddenly leveled at her. "O-Ogawa-san?"

"Who are you and how do you know my name?" he asked with a low, ominous tone.

Hibiki, still unable to grasp the situation at hand, laughed nervously. "C-come on, Ogawa-san! This is no time for jokes!"

"I will not ask you again." he demanded with anger she did not expect. "Tell me who you are, how you know me, and where you acquired that Symphogear."

Fearful at his sudden warning, Hibiki did as she was told. She raised her hands in the air, shuddering from the adrenaline still coursing through her. "O-Ogawa-san! It's me, Hibiki! I'm one of the Adaptors! I'm Tsubasa-san's friend! We met the first time when you brought me into Section 2 headquarters!"

Ogawa's brows furrowed, "I've never met you before in my life. Now, turn around and don't make any sudden moves. If you do, I will not hesitate to open fire, do you understand?"

Hibiki, far too bewildered to do anything else, nodded and answered hurriedly. "Y-yes sir."

And she did as he ordered, turning her back to him while keeping her hands in the air. Barely a second later, she let out a strangled yelp as her legs were suddenly pushed out from under her, and she fell to the ground face first with an undignified 'oof'. A moment later, she found her arms being brought behind her back, and a pair of handcuffs locked tightly around her wrists. She turned her head as much as she could, alarmed and further befuddled by his rough treatment.

"O-Ogawa-san!?"

"Resist, and I assure you that you won't get off easy," he said coldly as he pulled her to her feet by force. Far too shocked to respond, she stared at him with wide eyes. "You will speak only when spoken to, and you will answer _all_ of our questions, understood? Don't test us."

"B-but, Ogawa-sa—"

"Am. I. Understood?"

She froze again, a chill going down her spine. "Y-yes sir."

He said nothing more after that. A few moments later a large number of soldiers, similar to the ones she had helped— _and failed_ —entered the clearing. Ogawa gestured to a pair of them, and they ran to him. "Take this girl to the base and alert the commander that the anomaly has been captured. I'm sure he'll be very interested to know who it ended up being."

"Yes sir!"

He released his hold on her, and the two soldiers grabbed her by the arms, dragging her forward against her will. Still unable to comprehend what was happening, and an expression of terror etched on her face, Hibiki turned her head and screamed his name as she was dragged away.

"OGAWA-SAN!"

She was shoved forcefully into the back of a hummer, and the two soldiers escorting her entered right after her. They slammed the doors, and soon enough, the vehicle drove off to parts unknown.

And Hibiki, filled with unbridled uncertainty and fear she had not felt for a long time, could only stare at the floor with a concerned expression, wondering what exactly was going on.

The answer to that question, she would find, was not one she was prepared to hear.


	2. Unfamiliar Ceiling

The eerie silence within the hummer was excruciating. The two guards escorting her remained quiet the entire time despite her attempts to get some information. They didn't tell her who they were, where they were going, or what was happening. Every inquiry was ignored as if she had never asked it in the first place.

And so, Hibiki was forced to ruminate on her own. The only clue she got as to where they were headed was the occasional bump in the road. She could tell they went uphill for some time, probably the hill leading towards the school. But why would they even go there in the first place? Were they going there at all?

It was just one of the many things she was confused about; the monsters were the first. Their disgusting forms were nasty to look at, and their aggressiveness was overwhelming. She remembered that the soldiers had called the big ones Grappler-class, and the smaller ones Soldier-class. She could definitely tell it was to designate the type...but _what_ were they? Every idea she could think of sounded more absurd than the last.

Then came the mechas. She figured that these machines, particularly the gray ones, were the same type as the one that had collapsed on top of Flower. Only Ogawa seemed to have a different type and color from the others. She had to admit they were pretty cool, and that their ability to slay the monsters was unparalleled, but she still felt uncertainty as to their existence.

And to top it all off was Ogawa himself. Hibiki simply couldn't wrap her head around his behavior. Climbing out of that mecha was one thing, and that weird suit was another...but why did he aim his gun at her? Why did he say he doesn't know her?

To Hibiki, Ogawa was a sort of big brother figure she never had. Dependable, smart, and strong, he was a constant reassuring presence. He was one of the first people from SONG, then Section 2, to welcome her with open arms. He sat with her and talked to her after Tsubasa had used her Climax Song and explained how she felt. No matter the situation, she knew Ogawa could always be counted on, whether it was part of his job or just being someone to confide in.

To hear his threats and witness his cold attitude was like having a spear shoved through her stomach. It was so painful that the more she thought about it, the more she felt like crying.

After what felt like forever, they finally came to a stop. As the hummer powered down, the soldiers escorting her moved, one going over to open the back door while the other retrieved a black sack and approached her.

Immediately she was on guard. "W-what are you doing!?"

"Be silent," he demanded. "You'll do as we say, understand?"

"Please, I just want to know what's—"

" _Do you_ _understand?_ "

She wasn't prepared to confront that ominous tone, so she swallowed nervously and nodded. He then took the sack and placed it over her head, completely blinding her to her surroundings.

She had seen scenes like this in the movies she had watched with Genjuro. In order to prevent the captive from memorizing escape routes, the captors cover their eyes while they lead them to their destination. It was a staple in movies, but she never imagined she'd experience it in real life.

The soldier then grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the hummer. Her feet touched upon something that felt like concrete, and moments later she heard the hummer's back door slam shut. From there, she felt someone put his hands on her cuffed wrists and push her forward.

"Walk," the soldier said. "And don't ask any questions."

"Y-yes..."

And so they began their trek. With two of her senses currently disabled, Hibiki took the opportunity to listen as much as she could to her surroundings.

Nobody talked, so the only sound available to her was the sound of their feet on the floor. At first, she heard the dull sound that is made when walking on concrete, but it then abruptly changed to the heavier sound of metal. They took frequent turns, either because their destination was far away or in order to confuse her, and soon enough she found herself perplexed as to where they were going at all.

Regardless of where it was, one thing was for certain: she was being treated like a criminal. Ogawa had called her an 'anomaly', whatever that means. She hoped this was just a repeat of her initial meeting with Section 2, as she was treated somewhat similarly back then, although with a lot less secrecy.

She hoped that there was a surprise party waiting for her at her destination. She still held onto hope that this was just some kind of prank on SONG's part; perhaps an initiation ritual or something equally as preposterous. Regardless, whenever the sack is to be removed from her face, she hoped that the first thing she'd see is a familiar face.

They came to a stop suddenly, and she heard a door open in front of her. She was then pushed inside, and the soldier led her towards what she figured was a chair.

"Sit," he said.

"But I—"

" _Sit."_

She gulped. She felt around with her feet for the chair, and maneuvered herself to sit down. She heard the soldier walk around behind her, undo the cuffs...and proceed to trap her again, this time tying her to the chair itself. They wanted to make sure she couldn't run away, she supposed.

With their duty done, the soldiers left and closed the door behind them. Now left completely alone, Hibiki once again was forced to wait in silence. Her best guess as to where she was was an interrogation room, just like in the movies. Those perfectly square rooms with a single table in the middle and two chairs, one for the captive and one for the interrogator. A single lamp was most likely hanging right above the table, and on the wall in front of her there was most likely a one-way mirror, with a bunch of people on the other side studying her behavior.

That was, of course, the complete opposite of the surprise party she hoped for.

A few minutes later, the door once again opened. Someone with hulking, heavy steps walked inside, most likely a man, and shut the door behind him. He walked over to the empty seat, sat down, and swiftly pulled the sack off of her head.

Hibiki squinted her eyes as they adjusted to the sudden light. Moving her head to-and-fro, she was able to quickly confirm her guess as to her location.

"State your name," he demanded.

For a moment, Hibiki wasn't sure what he said. Then she realized his voice felt insanely familiar. As her eyes finally cleared and she got a good look at him, she couldn't help shoot to her feet, bringing the chair up with her.

"Master!"

There was no doubt about it; the person in front of her was Kazanari Genjuro, the commander of SONG and her personal martial arts master who taught her everything she knows. His features, from his auburn slicked-back hair, short beard, and massive eyebrows were all a dead giveaway. However, the difference was in his expression; his face was firmer, and sported wrinkles and scars she had never seen before.

His uniform was equally as unfamiliar. It was gray with light blue accents, and on the propped up collar she could see stripes she recognized were military ranks, made up of four of those bird-thingies whose name she couldn't remember. She never really cared for those.

He looked at her with his brow furrowed as she continued, "I'm so glad to see you! Listen, everything's gone so crazy! The city is gone and there are these weird monsters and mechas and I can't find Miku and Ogawa-san was acting all weird and I tried calling you but no one would pick up and the sub was gone and I don't know what's going on!"

Her voice was confused yet hopeful. There was nobody in the world more dependable than Genjuro after all. Whatever was going on, she knew he was going to figure it out.

However, that hope was dashed the moment he opened his mouth again.

"I have no idea who you are."

Shock filled her to the brim. "E-eh? Come on Master, is this a prank? Is everyone else behind that mirror? Please tell me they are! If this a joke then please tell me! Everything's been so weird this morning and I didn't even get to eat and—"

"Be quiet," he said, shutting her up. "And sit your ass back down."

His uncharacteristic swearing caught her off guard. She stared at him dumbly, her mouth half gaping. When she didn't heed his orders, he repeated himself.

"I said _sit down!"_

His voice came out in half a bellow. It sent shivers down her spine, and once again filled with confusion and fear, Hibiki fell silent and sat back down, bringing the chair back to the ground.

"Now then," he began, crossing his arms. "I have no idea why you're calling me Master, since I've never met you before in my life. In that case, let's start from the top: state your name."

"I-I—"

"State. Your. Name."

His harsh tone caused her heart to clench. She bit her lip and obediently answered. "T-Tachibana Hibiki."

"Age?"

"Seventeen."

"Hometown?"

"C-Chiba."

He paused. "I see, then let me get straight to the point, Tachibana Hibiki," he said, leaning forward. "Are you a spy?"

She was instantly alarmed. "What!? No!"

"Are you working for the Americans? The Soviets? The Anti-Imperial forces?"

"I'm not!" she yelled defiantly. "I don't even know who those last two are!"

"In that case, who are you?" he asked firmly. "Our scanners detected an Aufwachen signal, and surprisingly enough it came from you. You show up out of nowhere with the Gungnir Symphogear, defeat nearly a hundred Soldier-class and one Grappler-class BETA on your own, and claim to know both myself and my lieutenant. You're an anomaly, Tachibana Hibiki, and I intend to find out exactly who you are, where you came from, and how you came by that Symphogear."

He leaned back in his seat as he finished speaking. Hibiki took a moment to try and process what he said...and failed spectacularly. She stared at him with her eyes wide, unable to comprehend what he was talking about.

What the heck is a BETA? Is that the name of those monsters? Also, by his lieutenant, did he mean Ogawa? He also called her an anomaly again. What did he mean by that?

Why was she only getting more questions and absolutely no answers?

They sat in silence, and with her being too confused to answer, Genjuro pushed harder. "Well, start talking," he said, crossing his arms again.

"B-But Master, I—"

"You keep calling me that," he said as he leaned forward again. "Why do you keep calling me that? Is it supposed to be some secret missive you're trying to deliver?"

"N-No!" she exclaimed in pure distress. "You taught me how to fight and how to use my strength correctly! Everything I know came from you!" Her eyes glistened as she barely held back tears. "Please, if this a joke, then please stop it."

His face darkened, and all at once she was startled. "Do you think this is a joke, Tachibana?"

"M-Maste—"

"SILENCE!" he yelled, slamming his hand down on the table. She yelped in shock, and her words got stuck in her throat. "If you think this is a joke, you're in for a very rude awakening. Do you know what they do to people like you? Staying in jail will be the least of your worries. If you don't talk, I can't guarantee you'll leave this base alive."

She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. Everything he said built up further terror in her veins.

"It looks like you understand. Now, let's start from the beginning; where did you get this Symphogear?"

She once again swallowed nervously, and hurried to answer before he could threaten her again. "U-um, it's kind of a long story..."

He leaned back in his seat. "Well, unlike you, I don't have all day. If you want to guarantee your safety, start talking."

"W-well, I got my first one when I went to a concert—"

"A concert? By who?"

"Z-Zwei Wing. My friend Miku invited me but couldn't go, so I went alone."

"Who are these Zwei Wing? I've never heard of them before," he said, narrowing his eyes.

She blinked rapidly. What? That couldn't be. There was no way Genjuro never heard of— she stopped that thought right away as she noticed how hard his stare was getting. "They're an idol group that was made up of Tsubasa-san and Kanade-san."

That peaked his interest. He leaned forward again. "And by them you mean...?"

"Um, Kazanari Tsubasa and Amou Kanade."

He stared at her like she had said something completely impossible. He placed his right hand on the table, and she could see his eyes peek at the large mirror on the wall. "Go on."

"S-so I went to the concert and it was fun but then the Noise attacked, and Tsubasa-san and Kanade-san transformed with their Gears to try and save people, myself included. Kanade-san tried to protect me, but a piece of her Gear broke off and got stuck in my chest. After that she sang her Climax Song to defeat the Noise and died. I had surgery to remove most of the fragments but some remained behind."

He listened attentively, although he seemed to be skeptical. "Continue."

"So two years later I enrolled in Lydian and was going to buy Tsubasa-san's new CD, but then the Noise attacked again and I helped a little girl run away. When we got cornered this light in my chest appeared and suddenly I had my Symphogear on. I saved the little girl and then people from SONG— I mean Section 2 came along and took me to the base under the school and explained everything to me."

He seemed to be ruminating on her words, but by the way his eyes narrowed, he looked to be increasingly doubtful.

"And I fought Fine-san together with Tsubasa-san and Chris-chan, and then FIS showed up and at some point the fragments were purified from my body so I got this one from Maria-san."

It was an extremely abridged version of the events, but she didn't feel like it was necessary to say everything. He's Genjuro after all, no? He should know all of this already.

However, something was most definitely wrong.

He sighed, "So you say you fought Fine?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "And this Maria... Who are you referring to? And who are this FIS?"

She took a second to collect herself under his rapid-fire questions. "Um, Maria-san's name is uh... Maria Cadenzavna Eve. Did I say that right? And FIS were...I don't remember who they were, but I remember they were connected to Fine-san, and Maria-san, Kirika-chan, and Shirabe-chan were a part of it."

"And who are these last two?"

"Um, Akatsuki Kirika and Tsukuyomi Shirabe."

He paused again, "I see."

At that, he fell silent for a very long moment. His gaze scrutinized her deeply, making her feel awkward and uncomfortable. She squirmed in her seat, as if trying to present a smaller target for his stare. He then leaned back in his chair again, one hand on the table, and spoke.

"Well, it's clear as crystal to me what's going on," he said, causing her to perk up. "You're lying."

All at once she was alarmed again. "W-wha—? But Master, I'm not lying! I swear!"

"Really now? Then explain this," he began. "All of the people you've spoken of were never a part of any other organization. This SONG of yours never existed, and Section 2 was shut down when the BETA invaded Japan."

She blinked rapidly, realizing he had just said something outrageous extremely casually. Before she could prod further, he continued. "Kazanari Tsubasa, Yukine Chris, Maria Cadenzavna Eve, Akatsuki Kirika, and Tsukuyomi Shirabe are all fresh recruits who've just started their boot camp training in this base. Furthermore, it would have been impossible for you to have fought Fine because she perished in the fight against the BETA a long time ago, and from the looks of you, you're not even pushing twenty years old. And to top it all off, there were never two Gungnir Symphogears made. There's only one person capable of making them, and I assure you, they only ever made one."

It was Hibiki's turn to look at him with narrowed eyes and a face of utter confusion. What...what the heck is he saying? Everything he said sounded completely alien to her. And again with those BETA; what the heck were they? Every time he mentioned them it was in an increasingly more absurd scenario.

She didn't understand. She didn't understand at all. And Genjuro seemed entirely convinced of his explanation, which obviously clashed with her own retelling of the events she knew.

"As such, it's clear as day that you're trying to deceive us," he said, rising from his seat and crossing his arms. He loomed over her, nearly reaching the ceiling with his head. His darkened face terrified her to the core. "Since you're obviously not willing to tell the truth, it seems I'll have to get it out of you the _hard_ way."

She didn't like how he emphasized that last part. "Master, I—"

"Drop this 'Master' thing you've been going on about. I'm getting sick and tired of it. I'll be taking you to a cell, and from there we can decide what to do with you."

He began to approach her, and from the heaviness of his steps, she instinctively cowered. With her hands bound, she wouldn't be able to defend herself.

But why? Why was he saying all this? Why is he acting like this? What is going on? Why why why why why why why why why why why why—

And then the door opened.

"Alright, I think that's enough, Genjuro-kun."

He stopped, and turned to the source of the voice. Hibiki, despite herself, found that she recognized it...but it was impossible. This person couldn't be here. She followed Genjuro's gaze, and once again froze.

"R-Ryoko-san!?"

Standing in the doorway, sporting a similar uniform to Genjuro but with a lab coat on, was someone that couldn't possibly exist.

"Oh my," the woman said, eyeing Hibiki. "So you know my name too? Fascinating. Although by the look on your face, you look like you've seen a ghost."

She had no idea how close to the truth that statement came. Sakurai Ryoko, the former head scientist of Section 2 and the creator of the Symphogears, as well as the last known host of Fine. Hibiki vividly remembered her interactions with the woman, and how she had crumbled to dust right before her eyes.

She was supposed to be dead. Yet, here she was, standing there with that familiar smile on her face, hiding some unknown truth behind it.

"Professor Sakurai," Genjuro acknowledged. "What are you doing?"

"Well, I have some questions of my own to this girl you know. I can't just let you drag her off to be tortured so quickly. I want to have a taste too~" Ryoko said, twirling her pen in the air.

The man sighed heavily, "Again with your strange whims." He looked to Hibiki, "But I'm staying here. Who knows what she'll try."

Ryoko giggled, "I assure you dear, she won't try anything while I'm here."

This entire exchange went over Hibiki's head as she once again struggled to process what was going on. How could Ryoko be here? What was she talking about? What questions!?

Ignorant to their captive's internal turmoil, the two continued, "Very well," Genjuro confirmed, and allowed Ryoko to pass. She smiled in his direction, then approached Hibiki in a leisurely manner.

"Now then, before we start, I'll be taking this~"

And without asking for consent, grabbed the pendant around Hibiki's neck and tugged on it to break the cord.

"Wait! That's mine!" the girl protested.

"Is it now?" the scientist asked in a mocking tone. "Well, we'll see about that, won't we?"

She circled the table and sat down on the now empty seat, crossing her legs. Her head tilted, she studied the pendant carefully, holding it before her eyes by the broken cord.

"Intriguing..."

Hibiki couldn't say anything. She was still reeling from all the strangeness and shocking revelations that were dropped on her out of nowhere. She couldn't process everything fast enough to internalize what she was experiencing.

"If anything, what Genjuro-kun told you is true," Ryoko said to her. "Only one Gungnir pendant was ever made, and the last time we saw it, it was destroyed. And yet here it is again, although...quite peculiar. Did it undergo some modifications? I wonder..."

How...how the heck did she figure that out just by looking at it? Thinking about it again, Hibiki realized her mistake: this was Ryoko after all. She is the one who made it in the first place...or rather, Fine did. If Ryoko is here, does that mean she's Fine too?

"I would very much like to study these modifications, if you'd be so kind," Ryoko said, pocketing it. "Well, not like I'm really asking you. Unfortunately for you, the moment you stepped in here, you lost your right to choose. From here on out, we make the calls."

Hibiki could only mumble incoherently, "A-Ah...I, Uh..."

It was Ryoko's turn to lean forward on the table. She leaned her head on her hand and took on a thoughtful expression. "An unaccounted for Symphogear pendant, as well as a very interesting cover story...who are you really, Ms. Tachibana Hibiki?"

The girl couldn't help but stay silent. She wasn't sure what else she could say to convince the two of her identity and circumstances.

"Alright, I've made my decision," the scientist suddenly announced. "I'll be taking this girl to my lab. I believe it'll be easier to glean the truth from her there."

Hibiki's eyes widened.

"Is that wise, Professor?" Genjuro asked with a raised eyebrow. "We don't know what she's capable of."

"Oh my, are you worried about me, Genjuro-kun?" she replied with a sunny smile, causing the man to grumble. "I can handle myself just fine, no worries! And besides, without the Gear, I doubt there's much this girl here can do. Even if her claims to having been taught by you were true, a good old bullet between the eyes should be enough to stop any...incidents. I'm sure we won't have any problems, will we darling?"

Ryoko looked to Hibiki, and the girl shuddered at the casual threat on her life. She nodded hurriedly.

"Good. Now then, please uncuff her so we can go. I'd rather not waste too much sitting around. I'm a busy woman you know."

Genjuro sighed again, and walked behind Hibiki. He crouched down, took the key out of her shirt pocket, and unlocked the cuffs. Hibiki pulled back her arms and massaged her wrists while Ryoko stood up. She stopped by the door and looked to her captive, beckoning her to her side. "Come on now."

"Ah...okay," Hibiki mumbled, rising to her feet and walking towards the scientist. She briefly turned to Genjuro, who remained behind the seat. "Ah, Mas—-"

"Save it," he replied. "Get a move on."

And then he fell silent. His hardened, cold expression saddened Hibiki's heart, who wasn't used to seeing this behavior from him. As she followed after the scientist, she hoped that the mystery would finally be unraveled.

-!-

The walk to Ryoko's lab was surprisingly barren, Hibiki noticed. According to what both Ryoko and Genjuro said, this was supposed to be a military base. She figured she'd see soldiers walking around, yet for some reason, the path Ryoko took her through presented no such encounters.

As such, Hibiki took the opportunity to look around, studying the architecture around her. The steel walls were suffocating and dreary to look at, giving her a mild feeling of claustrophobia. The only thing that broke the monotony were the scattered signs plastered on the walls, giving directions to those lost in this veritable maze.

"Um, Ryoko-san," she spoke up uneasily. "So I was wondering..."

"Yes yes, you have some questions, don't you?" the scientist said, keeping her gaze forward as she led the way. "I do believe I have the answers. Everything points to that possibility after all."

Hibiki tilted her head in confusion. "What possibility?"

"You'll see in a moment."

She said nothing more after that. Taking the final turn, they came upon fork offering three distinct doors at its end. A singular metallic gate was joined by two smaller ones on its two sides, giving Hibiki the impression of a game show that asked you to pick the right one out of several. For a moment, she expected them to walk through the largest one first, but then Ryoko turned to the rightmost one. She withdrew a keycard from her lab coat and pressed it against the receiver by the door. After a small beep that confirmed her identity, she pushed the handle down and walked inside, and Hibiki followed right after her.

It was much larger than she had expected. As the door locked behind her, Hibiki gaped at the complex machinery that lined the walls of the brightly lit room. She recalled seeing something similar back in Section 2's original base under the school, and she knew she'll never know what each of them does. As her eyes scanned the space, her gaze fell upon Ryoko's back as the woman approached a giant tube right in the heart of the room.

"Ah," she heard a soft, extremely familiar voice say. "Welcome back, Ryoko-san. Have you finished your business?"

"Yes yes, and I even brought a guest along," the scientist said, gesturing to the aforementioned guest. "How about you introduce yourself?"

"Very well."

Hibiki stared as the owner of the soft voice approached her, and once again she gaped in shock.

"Elfnein-chan!?"

There was no mistaking the owner of the minty green hair before her. She wore a lab coat over a uniform similar to Ryoko, only smaller to fit to her stature. Short as she had ever been, her cute mannerisms clashed with the questioning gaze she held as she tilted her head in response to Hibiki's statement. "My apologies, but I do not think we've met."

"It's me! Hibiki! Don't you remember me!? Don't tell me you forgot too!"

The panic in her voice was palpable, but Elfnein seemed to not respond to it. Rather, she turned towards the older woman behind her. "Ryoko-san, could this possibly be...?"

"I thought so as well, and considering what I've heard from her, it seems like we nailed it."

"I see," Elfnein murmured, then turned back to the guest. "Then let me introduce myself as well; I'm Elfnein Malus Dienheim, Professor Sakurai's assistant and alchemist."

She followed it up with a short bow, one which Hibiki failed to return due to her shock. She couldn't help but notice something very strange about the small alchemist's uniform, mainly an additional patch over the breast pocket that the soldiers outside and Genjuro didn't have. Her knowledge of English was lacking at best, but she recognized the alphabet well enough.

Unless her eyes deceived her, it said something along the lines of 'Alternative IV'.

' _I wonder what that means...'_

Her eyes darted back to the scientist. "Ryoko-san, what is—?"

"Come here and I'll explain," she said, beckoning her forward. Hibiki briefly looked to Elfnein again, who had already wandered back to Ryoko's side.

Uneasily, she joined the two, and looked up at the strange, glowing gem floating freely in the middle of the glass tube. She wondered why such a huge encasing was necessary for something this tiny.

"Do you know what this is?" Ryoko began, pressing a few buttons on the console in front of the machine.

"Uh... I don't. I've never seen this before," she replied, although the feeling she got from it reminded her of—

"I suppose you've heard of relics then, all things considered," the scientist continued, unpocketing the pendant she took from Hibiki. "But I guess you don't know what this one is."

Hibiki shook her head. "No, I don't."

"In that case, let me tell you," Ryoko said, and with a few more presses, brought up a multitude of translucent screens containing information Hibiki couldn't decipher. "This is a fragment of a unique relic called Gjallarhorn. Have you ever heard of it?"

Another shake of the head. "No."

"Well, it was a bronze horn belonging to Heimdallr, a god from Norse mythology. It was said that upon blowing into this horn, he would summon the Bifröst, the rainbow bridge that connects between Asgard, the realm of the gods, and Midgard, which is the realm of man, also known as Earth."

Her explanation, while interesting, failed to clue in Hibiki as to what she meant. "Um, Ryoko-san, how is this—"

"Let me finish," the scientist interrupted her, handing over the pendant to her assistant. "To put it simply, Gjallarhorn allowed for travel between realms. So, taking that into consideration, what do you think is its power as a relic?"

"..."

There was no way what she was implying was possible, right? Hibiki couldn't believe it. She may be dumb, but she's not so dumb as to miss such an obvious sign.

But it's too sudden. Too confusing. There's no way that—

"By the look on your face, it looks like you figured it out," Ryoko said with a small smile. "Yes, as a relic, it allows for travel between parallel worlds. Of course, this is but a small fragment of a much larger object, but its power is undeniable. That is quite an incredible ability, however, this little fella is quite temperamental. Throughout the entire time we had studied it, not once have we been able to get it to do what we wanted. That is...until today. Tell me Hibiki-chan, when did you wake up this morning?"

"Uhh... around eleven AM?"

The scientist pressed a few more buttons on the console, bringing up an additional screen for them to see. As Hibiki peeked at it, she didn't quite understand what was on it except a single set of numbers that she did recognize.

'11:00'

"And it just so happens that the very first energy spike we've ever detected from this fragment occurred at exactly that timeframe," Ryoko said, expanding upon the information she was presenting. "Elfnein-chan and I worked tirelessly to try and discover what was the cause, to no success. And then, as if by some strange coincidence, you showed up, activating a Symphogear that everyone on this base believed was destroyed. So taking all of that into consideration, what do you think that means?"

And once again, Hibiki could only gape in shock. When Ryoko put it so simply like that, it was impossible to ignore the signs. Her voice shook as she tried to put it into words.

"You mean I... I...!"

Ryoko threw her hands up in the air and flashed a bright, wide smile. "Yep! Congratulations, Tachibana Hibiki! You are the first person in recorded history to travel between worlds!"

And there it was. The finishing blow. The most unreasonable yet logical explanation to everything she'd gone through today. The reason why everything different and unfamiliar despite being the same place.

It was way too much to accept on the spot. Yet, for some reason, she didn't feel like she was breaking down from such an earth-shattering revelation.

"From the look on your face, you're taking this rather well," the scientist noted, her voice laced with a tinge of disappointment. "I expected a more... vivid reaction, to be quite honest."

Hibiki rubbed the back of her head sheepishly and let out a nervous laugh. "Well, I guess it's because... I've already gone through so many strange things, so I'm thinking that world jumping isn't all that strange in comparison, you know?"

"When you put it like that, I suppose that makes sense," the scientist nodded in understanding.

"So, um..." the girl mumbled. "Can you send me back? Everyone must be worried sick, and let me tell you, Miku is scary when she's angry, and—"

"I'm afraid that's not possible."

"...Eh?"

"You heard me. Unfortunately, I have no way to send you back," Ryoko admitted clearly. "As I've told you, the Gjallarhorn fragment is tempermental. Ever since the energy spike this morning, I've been unable to get it to respond again. It seems whatever triggered its activation had ceased, and it is now dormant again."

Hibiki let out a nervous laugh. "You... You're kidding, right? Come on Ryoko-san, this is a bad joke."

"It isn't a joke," the scientist replied, and the otherworldly visitor could tell from her tone that she was serious. "Sorry, Hibiki-chan, but I'm afraid you're stuck here. At least, until I can figure out whatever it is that brought you here and how to replicate it. But that could take any amount of time, from days to months, possibly years."

The girl nearly lost her footing at the grave news. She...couldn't go home again? She wouldn't be able to see her friends, her family, and Miku ever again? That's...that's...

Catching on to her distress quickly, Ryoko spoke up. "You're definitely here for a reason," she said, causing Hibiki to stare at her in confusion. "And for both our sakes, I think it's important we discover what it is. You being here with a uniquely modified Gungnir can help us develop ways to counter the BETA, so you could say that you being here helps us all in the long run. In short, I require your cooperation to develop methods with which we could save the world."

Hibiki immediately found her shock wearing off. She was one who never took her own circumstances into consideration, always putting the needs of others before herself. The fact that she was stuck in an alternate world had almost completely fled her mind in favor of the prospect of being able to save others.

That was just how she worked. She recomposed herself quickly, and looked at the scientist with a serious expression. "What can I do to help?"

"That's the spirit. Before we begin, however, you must first learn something crucial," Ryoko said, Turning to the console beside her. She turned her head to the girl as she asked her next question. "Tell me, Hibiki-chan, does your world have the BETA?"

"No," Hibiki responded, once again blinking at the unfamiliar term. "I wanted to ask... What are those things? I know it's what you call the monsters, but I still don't understand what they are."

Ryoko let out a contemplative sigh. "I see... Then let me show you."

She pressed more buttons on the console again. New screens displaying new information lit up, and the scientist, knowing her parallel world visitor wouldn't understand what they all meant, explained.

[ _(Play: Whirlpool of Fate - Fate Stay Night OST)_ ](https://youtu.be/vCOTWQexTjs)

The first was a black and white image, showing a desert plain devoid of all life. Dust and rocks littered the landscape, giving a dreadful sense of eternal isolation. Yet, something on the very right of the image covered part of the landscape, and its shape was too blurry and adjacent to the camera to know exactly what it was.

"1958, The landing module of the Viking 1 probe drops down on Mars and transfers back the first images of unidentified creatures roaming the planet's surface."

Mars?! That's impressive, Hibiki had to admit. In her own world, missions to Mars were rarer than rare. Space agencies focused more on the Moon due to the damage it had taken due to Kadingir's blast. It was further exacerbated when Shem-Ha had destroyed the ruins.

More clicks followed, and fittingly enough, this time an image of the Moon was displayed. However, unlike the one she knew firsthand, it was whole. No great ring of debris orbited around it, and there was no massive crater where the great tower had struck it.

"1967, a lunar survey team makes first contact with lifeforms discovered to be identical to the ones identified on Mars. The lifeforms launch a large scale attack on the lunar base, starting the First Lunar War, and ending with the complete annihilation of all human forces on the Moon. The lifeforms are from then christened as the BETA: Beings of ExtraTerrestrial origin which is Adversary of the human race."

More clicks. Another display popped up, this time showing a map of Earth's surface, particularly focused on Asia. The continents were shaded a dark green, while the oceans around them were a deep blue hue. The somewhat even distribution of the two colors was broken by a single shining red dot, placed on an area she knew was somewhere around China.

"1973, a BETA landing unit drops down on Earth in the Kashgar Autonomous Area of western China. They begin construction of their first hive, which functions as their main base. This is designated as H01, and..." she paused for a moment. "The beginning of hell."

There was a pause as Hibiki's heart clenched. What Ryoko just said couldn't be true, could it? This simple, tiny red dot was the beginning of everything?

She dreaded what was to come. Yet, Ryoko continued somberly, knowing that the information would shock her otherworldly visitor. She glanced to her from the corner of her eye, but kept her composure as she resumed her explanation.

More clicks. On the new map, the singular dot transformed into a tidal wave.

"1974, a second BETA landing unit drops down on Canada. The United States of America, learning from the events taking place in China, as well as fearing the same fate, deploy nuclear weapons in order to stop the BETA invasion. Their attempts are successful, but half of Canada is rendered an uninhabitable wasteland. Meanwhile, the BETA sweep through the Middle-East."

Hibiki swallowed. More clicks followed as another display came to life before her. She had already lost count of how many she had seen as she had been too focused on the unnerving information she was receiving.

The red wave expanded exponentially.

"1976, the BETA conquer Eastern Europe. The Noise, which have served as mankind's enemy for centuries, deploy en masse. Led by Fine, the three-decade long war between the BETA and the Noise begins."

Hibiki's eyes widened in surprise. Fine? The Noise? They...they fought the BETA? She remembered Genjuro mentioned it, but at the time she was too puzzled by his behavior to give it more attention.

All she remembered of Fine was a woman consumed by grief, stuck in a perpetual loop in her attempt to reunite with her love. She was glad that the priestess had her wish granted in the very end, and could finally pass on in peace.

Yet it seems that in this world, she did not have that luxury.

More clicks. The red wave, paused in Eastern Europe, turns eastward. She couldn't contain her horror at the rapid expansion of the BETA, tearing through the continent at breakneck speeds. She had never seen anything like this before in her life, not even in the movies. Yumi would've probably quipped at how anime this all was, but Hibiki knew that for the people of this world, they wished it was.

"1988, the combined Soviet-UN Alliance fails at stalling the BETA. The invaders begin their conquest of mainland Russia."

More clicks.

"2001, a full half of the Soviet Union falls. The BETA begin their invasion of India and China."

More clicks. The European Front, previously kept stable, is overrun. At that moment, Ryoko gave the piece of information that made Hibiki take a frightened step back.

"2008, the Noise are annihilated. The entire Treasury of Babylon is emptied and Fine perishes in the fighting. The Soviets succeed at stalling the BETA in Siberia. Half of India falls."

At this point, Hibiki was hugging herself close, shivering from the horrifying information.

Both Fine and the Noise...lost. That was unbelievable. The Noise, for all she knew, were endless. They were ancient and eternal, and their numbers surpassed even the expectations of the foremost experts on the subject. She doubted even Fine knew how many there were, and in her world, the Treasury had been sealed shut, so nobody could get to it again.

Yet somehow, that endless horde _lost._ They fought a battle against an enemy with the same tactics and had been defeated. It was completely preposterous to hear. It went against everything that she knew.

More clicks.

"2012, the Soviet defense crumbles. India falls. China finally accepts UN assistance, and attempt to mount a counteroffensive on H01. Their attempts fail. Half of Europe is conquered by the BETA."

More clicks. So much of Asia and Europe had been swallowed by the red wave that the previous green shade was barely visible. Hell, from what she could tell, they were being taken over at an even faster rate than before.

"2018, China falls. The Koreans mount a desperate defense of their peninsula. The BETA conquer the entire Russian mainland. The BETA are temporarily stalled in France. The Scandinavian peninsula is nearly overrun."

More clicks. The pace with which Ryoko went through the displays increased in tandem with the BETA's expansion rate. Caught completely off-guard, Hibiki could only stare, her own horror deepening along with them both.

"2025, Europe falls. Scandinavia falls. The Korean peninsula falls. Displaying a level of aggression uncharacteristic even for them, the BETA plow through the African defenses. Saharan Africa falls."

Click. She clutched at her chest, feeling like someone had knocked the wind out of her and refused to let her breath. With each advance, more and more of those faceless many she didn't know were added to the tally.

"2035, Africa falls. In an unprecedented move that we had believed to be impossible for them, the BETA cross the Indian Ocean using a deep-sea capable strain and invade Antarctica. They begin their sweep through the continent virtually unopposed."

Click. A once green Earth, shown even through a holographic screen had been reduced to ashes, leaving behind only a charred landscape, not unlike the one she had seen in the first image. Destruction that went beyond even scorched earth tactics, it was as if the BETA consumed the very ground they trampled upon.

It was brutality the likes of which she had never seen before. Her mind flashed back to the mangled corpses of the soldiers being ravaged by the hungry BETA horde, and the dripping blood and viscera that clung to their rotten teeth. It was disgust to the point of vomiting, and Ryoko's mere words made that nauseating feeling return at full force.

"2040, Antarctica falls. The United Kingdom evacuates their entire population to the United States of America. The BETA promptly take advantage of this and conquer the island."

Click. She had only seen those monstrosities once, yet on an instinctual level, she knew that what she had seen was not even the tip of the iceberg. There were so many more out there that she did not know, and she understood, deep down, that none were safe from their reach. The bright blue sky had become a prison from which not even a single person could escape, and all the survivors could do was fight to the bitter end.

And she was feeling their desperate struggles through nothing but a single, transparent screen that brought the message across better than even the most talented of storytellers. For someone like her, who lived for the sake of saving others, this was a hell she could not comprehend.

Finally, what she had feared finally took place. While her heart went out to the people of the world, to hear this next bit elicited a shiver she could not contain.

"2043, the BETA invasion of Japan begins. Within a few weeks, they conquer Kyushu, Chugoku, and Shikoku. By the end of the year, half of Honshu, including Tokyo, falls to the BETA. UN-Imperial forces launch a daring counterattack against the hive established at the capital. The initial assault fails, but by the daring sacrifice of a single person, the BETA defending the hive are destroyed. This would later be known as the very first hive capture and first victory against the invaders. Construction of Tokyo base starts, which is completed the following year."

The last set of clicks.

"This is the state of the world as of today, February 22nd, 2046. As you can plainly tell, we have been pushed to the brink of annihilation. Of the original six billion, only one billion remain of Earth's original population."

Hibiki felt weak in the knees. Her mouth was gaping, and her eyes were wide with horror that Ryoko found all too familiar. The first words she could utter following the end of Ryoko's explanation was a rapidfire of anguished questions.

"O-one billion!? H-how!? Why!? Why did they do this!?"

The scientist let out a sigh as she looked upon the harrowing figures again. "Who knows. Even now, we still don't know what the BETA's goals or intentions are. All attempts at communication have failed spectacularly, and while we've gleaned a lot from their biological structure, nothing was discovered about their motivations. For all we know, they're an army of automatons with no free will of their own."

"T-they're...just like the Noise, only—"

"Only far more dangerous. The Noise never came close to doing this much damage," Ryoko finished for her.

"Then how..." Hibiki asked with clenched teeth. "Those machines... Are they what you use to fight them?"

The scientist tilted her head for a moment before realizing what she meant. "Ah, those? Yes, that's what we use to combat the BETA. Those machines are called Tactical Surface Fighters, or TSFs, for short. They're the one thing that kept us from being completely exterminated. They first started development in the mid-60s, and by the time the BETA landed on Earth, production went into overdrive, as conventional weaponry proved to be insufficient in dealing with the invaders. Although even with them, we haven't been able to push back against the BETA. They're simply too strong and numerous."

Hibiki had to wonder. The efficiency with which Ogawa's unit had defeated them made the machines, now called TSFs, seem very powerful. Yet even with such a creation, they still weren't able to win?

And...five billion people died. She couldn't even wrap her head around that number. She had once heard that numbers that become so big also become incomprehensible. Unimaginable. They become a distant statistic, just like the scale of the universe itself. Something that the human mind couldn't possibly understand.

That was the case for her, and along with it, the dread grew in proportion. For a person like her, who prided herself in her ability to save others, the mere thought of most of humanity being killed was akin to having her very purpose ripped away by its roots.

And this has been going on for...nearly one hundred years. Two generations of survivors were caught up in the fighting against the BETA, and time and time again they had to deal with the fallout of defeat after defeat.

It was unbelievable. For Tachibana Hibiki, such a concept was the stuff of her worst nightmares.

Yet in this world, it was the grim reality.

"This...this isn't right!" she cried out. "So many people died and suffered... I can't accept this! I can't let something like this go on!"

Ryoko, despite herself, let out a chuckle, causing Hibiki to make a puzzled expression. "Sorry, I just find it funny how eager you are to help all of a sudden even though you're essentially stuck here. You're the type that can't let injustice go, can't you?"

The girl's face reddened slightly, and she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I-I guess so," she said with a small laugh. "So what can I do?"

Before Ryoko could answer her, Elfnein walked over with the Gungnir pendant in hand. She approached the two, and looked up at the older woman. "I've finished the primary analysis of this pendant."

"And? What did you find out?"

"It's...quite unprecedented. At the base, it matches the construction of the previous Gungnir entirely, yet there are layers of modifications embedded in its core that are unlike anything I've ever seen. Moreover, there are not negligible traces of alchemical formulas, some that even I can't immediately recognize," Elfnein explained, and glanced towards Hibiki. "What sort of upgrades has it undergone? I'd like to know the specifics if possible."

Unfortunately, Hibiki had no answer to give her. She scratched her cheek as she looked to the side. "Um... I...don't...know? Sorry, I'm not really good at this sort of thing. It's beyond me."

"I see..." Elfnein murmured. "Regardless, I will keep on studying this pendant. From the manner it was worked on, I assume the Elfnein of your world did it."

Hibiki nodded in confirmation. "Then that will make it easier. I'll be keeping this pendant for the foreseeable future," the alchemist declared suddenly.

"Huh?" Hibiki said. "B-but that's mine! I can't just—"

"I think you're misunderstanding something, Hibiki-chan," Ryoko cut in. "As much as I'd like to help you get back to your own world, I unfortunately cannot just let you run around here freely. You don't seem to understand just how major of a development this is, particularly the reappearance of the Gungnir pendant, which we thought to have been destroyed."

"But I—"

"As such, there's only one course of action that we can take," the scientist continued, ignoring her protests. "Seeing as you're a Symphogear Adaptor, you will enlist in the military and work towards the salvation of mankind."

It took Hibiki a moment to process what the woman had told her. She blinked several times, and her eyebrows rose in bewilderment. "H-huh?"

"You heard me. You will join the special Symphogear unit, and train as a TSF pilot alongside the others."

"Wait wait wait wait!" Hibiki exclaimed, waving her hands in front of her. "I need a moment! I don't understand what you're saying! Start from the beginning please!"

Ryoko sighed, adjusting her glasses. "Remember what Genjuro-kun told you?" she asked. "You demonstrated familiarity with the members of the Symphogear unit, also known as the Valkyrie Squadron. Taking that into consideration, I can assume that even in your world they're Symphogear Adaptors, correct?"

Hibiki thought back to the interrogation earlier in the day. Yeah, Genjuro _did_ mention the others. He said all of them were on the base, meaning that her own story didn't match up with what he knew.

That's why he didn't believe her. "Yeah, they are."

"Well, they're Adaptors here too. They're a special unit unlike any other in the world. They receive special training not just as Adaptors, but as TSF pilots as well. In our world, the Symphogears, while powerful, proved to be insufficient in the fight against the BETA; therefore, my colleague in the capital and I came up with a solution. You're a special existence, and as such I cannot allow you to do as you wish. If you want to get back home, this is your only option."

"My only option..." Hibiki murmured. Joining the military? That's...well, it's not like SONG wasn't a military unit already, but the implication behind Ryoko's words gave it a much different feeling than she had expected. "Is there really no other way?"

"I can toss you in a jail cell for the foreseeable future instead," the scientist said, pressing the buttons on the console to shut off the displays. "But that would be counterproductive. Think of it as a deal; You join us officially and help us fight against the BETA, and I figure out a way to get you back home. How does that sound to you?"

"Like I'm being swindled..."

"Indeed, it's not very fair to you, but it's not like you have a choice, do you? You look like the type of person who'd run off and face the BETA alone if it meant saving even one person."

Hibiki cringed at the accusation. Yeah, that's definitely something she'd do.

"Sorry, but you're too important to be allowed to do something so reckless," Ryoko continued. "Whatever experience and technology you brought from your world, we will make use of, no matter the consequences. I have a duty for this world, and I'm not willing to let this chance pass by."

The more the scientist spoke, the more Hibiki realized just how much desperation and frustration were seeping into her voice.

"Ryoko-san, can I ask you a question?"

"Hm? What is it?"

"Are..." Hibiki swallowed. "Are you Fine?"

Ryoko paused, and stared the girl right in the eyes. Their gazes met, and Hibiki could tell that the woman was mentally prodding her, as if trying to dive deep into her mind to figure out the meaning behind the question.

But her answer was swift. "No, I am not. As I've told you earlier, Fine perished in the fight against the BETA. I suppose I was her in your world?" she asked, and Hibiki confirmed with a nod. "Then sorry to disappoint you. However, I did inherit all of her research. There's no greater expert on her and relics than me in the world, so it's only natural I'd continue what she started. She sacrificed everything, including her own desires, in order to fight the BETA. For the sake of what she left behind, I'll make sure to save humanity in her place."

Something in the way Ryoko spoke made Hibiki feel nostalgic, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

"Okay... Then, what now?" she asked.

"I'll take care of the paperwork as well as give you a cover story. By tomorrow morning, you'll be a full fledged recruit in the Valkyrie Squadron. Do note that I will call for you regularly in order to question you more about your world; as such, I'll give you a security card that'll allow you to access this area," the scientist said.

Had she not already been familiar with such restrictions, Hibiki would've been completely lost. However, over a year with the others in SONG gave her enough experience to understand what she meant.

"You'll be joining the others in training and everything that follows," she said, only for Hibiki to suddenly interrupt her.

"So I'll meet my friends of this world!"

"Indeed you will, however..." the scientist began. "A word of caution: remember that this is a different world from yours. Even though they may look the same as your friends from yours, they are _not_ them. Remember that their circumstances vastly differ from what you know. If you are not careful, you are bound to alienate them. You're a stranger to them, so make sure to keep that in mind. I really don't want to deal with your mental health too, as I have enough to do as it is."

That was a harsh way to put it, but Hibiki knew that she was saying it for her own good.

A stranger in a strange world, with familiar faces that have become strangers. In some corner of her heart, she dreaded meeting them.

After all, she hadn't started off on the right foot with any of the other Symphogear Adaptors. Tsubasa, Chris, Maria, Kirika, Shirabe... They were all hostile to her in the beginning before they warmed up to each other. Maybe...maybe it wouldn't be as bad as Ryoko said it would be? She hoped so.

All serious thoughts, however, were immediately caught off by a sound not unlike a whale's mating call. Ryoko and Elfnein looked to her with wide eyes, and Hibiki flushed under their stares, holding onto her treacherous stomach. She laughed awkwardly at the crudeness.

"S-sorry...I didn't get the chance to eat breakfast..."

The scientist sighed. "Well, it's fine. We're more or less done here as it is. I don't have time to sit you through everything, so I'll let your training handle the rest. It's pretty late anyway. You have to wake up early tomorrow."

"Eh? What time is it?"

"Hm? You didn't check? It's 11 PM."

Hibiki gawked. "WHAT!? It's been twelve hours!? How!? When!?"

Ryoko shrugged. "Time flies when you're having fun, I suppose."

"I can't really call any of this fun..." Hibiki groaned.

"And this is just the beginning," the scientist said, and then turned to Elfnein. She took out something from her pocket and handed it over to her assistant. "Elfnein-chan, please be a dear and escort her to her room. You know which one. I'll give Tomosato the heads up so she can bring her things and some food."

Another name Hibiki recognized. Another person she knew, but in this world, didn't know her.

It was going to be difficult getting used to this. Everything was happening so quickly she didn't really have the chance to piece it all together. Not even one day in this new world and she was already enlisted in the army pretty much against her will.

"Very well," the alchemist responded, removing her lab coat and taking what Ryoko offered to her.. She left her station and approached Hibiki, and stared up at her. "Follow me."

"Ah...okay."

Hibiki briefly looked back to Ryoko again, who simply waved to her with a smile on her face. "See you tomorrow, Hibiki-chan. We're going to have lots of fun together from now on, I can tell."

For a second, a shiver went down her spine.

Yeah, this was going to be tough getting used to.

-!-

Once again, Hibiki was taken through the twists and turns of the maze that was the base. She was led away from the lab area and up an elevator, and continued following after Elfnein through the similar looking hallways. She had to admit she already felt lost after the first few turns, honestly not looking forward to having to navigate it again in the future.

Luckily enough, the small alchemist knew the way perfectly. They walked in complete silence, and just as before, Hibiki was surprised to see not a single soul alive in the darkened corridors. She knew it was late, but she didn't expect it to be so dead as to appear abandoned.

After what felt like forever, the two finally made it to their destination. In a hallway seemingly in the middle of nowhere, they stood before a khaki metal door, its surface slightly scratch and the gray paint somewhat peeling. An empty nameplate to its right made Hibiki wonder who had previously resided in this room. Wordlessly, Elfnein took the keycard Ryoko had given her and pressed it to the receiver, and it beeped as it unlocked. She turned the handle and went inside, with Hibiki following after her.

The room was small, but more packed than she had expected. To the left of the door was a spring bed, upon which a thin mattress lay with a stack of simple white sheets. To the right of the bed was a metallic table, accompanied with an equally simple metal chair. Attached to the wall next to the table was an average sized closet, with its door slightly open. To the right of the door war, to her surprise, a sink, with a mirror right above it. To the left of the sink was another door, one she assumed to be the bathroom.

The room's walls were a faded white, and in some areas the paint was peeling, confirming it hadn't been touched up at all since its previous resident. The upper part of the walls were dotted with a dozen vents, from which she could slightly hear air waft into the room. All in all, she had to admit it wasn't so bad, even if it was a far cry from what she was used to.

Elfnein walked to the middle of the room and turned to Hibiki. "This will be your lodging from now on," she said, handing her the key. "I recommend you do not leave this room tonight. Tomorrow I will come to make sure you awaken on time."

She immediately turned to leave without even giving Hibiki time to say anything. Before she could head out the door, she called out to her. "Elfnein-chan!"

The alchemist stopped, and turned her head with a quizzical expression. "Umm... What happened to uh...Carol-ch— I mean, Carol?"

"...She also perished," she said evenly. Hibiki gaped in shock. "She did the best she could, but just like Fine, it wasn't enough. I will carry on her legacy and save humanity in her place."

That's all she had to say. Hibiki could say nothing as she left, closing the door to the room behind her.

And Hibiki was alone.

She let out a heavy sigh, and surveyed the room around her again, her spirits falling at its unfamiliarity and at her current situation.

She felt there was something quite ironic about the fact that the last time she was alone, she was in her room, in her own house, waking up to what she believed to be a normal morning. And now, she was going to fall asleep once again alone, this time in a room not her home, in a place she didn't know, and tomorrow wake up to a messed up reality.

"I really am cursed..." she said to herself. It's been a long time since she'd uttered that phrase, and she hadn't missed it.

She didn't have much of a choice, did she? Sighing again, she went to make the bed so she could have somewhere to sleep. It wouldn't be the first time she slept on a thin mattress on a spring bed; she had after all been sent to various corners of the globe to deal with supernatural threats. SONG didn't exactly have the need to prepare something more comfortable.

She was done a few minutes later, inwardly thanking Miku for her incessant nagging that forced her to learn. She laid down on her back on it, her arms spread to the side. She stared at the ceiling, pointlessly counting the amount of tiles it was made of.

What was she supposed to do? Everything was just so...overwhelming. She put an arm over her eyes and sighed again, recounting in her head the events of the day.

She was transported to a parallel reality by a relic she'd never heard of for a reason she did not know. The world had been overrun by an alien race that had pushed humanity to the brink of destruction and killed five billion people. Mankind was fighting back using giant mechas she'd only ever seen in anime. The friends and comrades she knew were different from what she remembered. Ryoko was alive, and Fine was dead. She had been forced to enlist in the army to repel the invaders and save humanity.

She was surprised at herself that she hadn't collapsed in tears at the sheer absurdity of it all. But she knew she didn't have a choice. All she could do was go along with what Ryoko had planned, and hopefully at the end of it all, she could go back home.

No matter what it took.

She laid on her back for a good while, forcing herself to not fall asleep. A sudden knock on the door brought her back to her senses, and she rose to sit on the foot of the bed.

"Come in," she said.

The door opened, and with permission given, the person entered the room.

"Good evening."

Hibiki's heart skipped a beat at the familiar voice. To her surprise, Tomosato Aoi walked inside, carrying a single kitbag with her. "I've been sent by Professor Sakurai to bring you your things, as well as provide you with all the necessary equipment and assets required for your stay here," she said in a professional tone that caught Hibiki off guard. She promptly dropped her baggage down by the door.

Hibiki rose to her feet to study the woman's form. As she expected, Aoi looked exactly the same as she remembered her, except with a different uniform that resembled Ryoko's, Elfnein's, and Genjuro's. Well, she figured it was the official uniform for the personnel of this base, but it still took a moment to get used to it.

"Ah... Thank you," Hibiki mumbled nervously. She wanted to call out to the woman, but remembered what Ryoko had said to her. This Aoi wouldn't know who she is.

"Oh, my apologies, I haven't introduced myself," the woman said. "I am First Lieutenant Tomosato Aoi, Tokyo Base Communications Officer and Professor Sakurai's adjutant. I look forward to working with you."

Polite and straight to the point, just as she remembered her. Fumbling with her own words, Hibiki responded. "Ah, um... I'm Tachibana Hibiki. I, uh... got here just today, so I don't know much about what I'm supposed to do."

"So I've heard," Aoi said with a nod of her head. "As such, I've brought you everything you'll need. You'll find uniforms as well as other essentials in the kitbag, and I've also been told to return your belongings to you. You'll find them in there as well."

"Ah! Thank you. I dropped my bag while I was outside and I thought I lost it," Hibiki said in relief. Well, she didn't so much drop it as she basically tossed it aside in her haste. She never expected someone would've picked it up and brought it to the base. That was a lucky break.

Aoi, however, didn't give her so much as a smile. She withdrew a square note from her breast pocket and presented it to Hibiki. "Take this. This is the official pledge you will have to recite tomorrow morning in order to finalize your enlistment. Memorize it by heart until you have it down perfectly. Reveille is at 6 AM. You must be in the gymnasium by 6:30 AM sharp. Since you most likely do not know your way around the base, a map of its layout has been provided for you. Make sure not to lose it."

She talked so fast Hibiki barely managed to keep up. "Ah...uh, thank you. Sorry to make you do this so late."

"It's part of the job," Aoi said. "If you have no further questions, I'll be taking my leave."

Without another word, just like Elfnein, she turned to leave the room. She took one step before Hibiki called out to her. "AH! Um, Tomosato-san, I do have a question."

"Hm?"

"Um... Do you think you can look for someone named Kohinata Miku? She's my uh..." She wanted to say girlfriend, but it was better to remain vague for now. "My friend, but we got separated so I was wondering if you could find her for me."

"Kohinata Miku..." Aoi repeated to herself. "Very well, I shall check the databases for such a person. Anything else?"

"Ah, uh... No."

"Very well. Have a pleasant night."

With just those words, Aoi left the room, closing the door behind her. Hibiki stared at it dumbly, the note still in her hand, and took another heavy sigh. She had asked about Miku a little bit impulsively, as she had been thinking of her deeply the entire day. Since this is a parallel world, she figured that the Miku here wouldn't recognize her...

Unless there existed _another_ Hibiki in this world, in which case that'd be very weird if they met face to face. She briefly wondered how it'd be like to meet herself.

No, this wouldn't do. She slapped her cheeks twice and mumbled another familiar phrase. "It's fine, everything's just fine."

She knew it wasn't fine, but there wasn't much she could do about it now. She glanced at the note and grimaced at the long set of lines she had to memorize by tomorrow morning.

She was going to get to sleep very late today, wasn't she?

Before doing anything else, she went over to the kitbag and opened it, briefly glancing at the various clothes inside. Shirts, pants, shoes, and other things she expected to receive were all inside, as she had from SONG. However, she ignored them for the moment and rummaged through the contents, feeling for her personal bag inside and taking it out. From inside it, she took out her phone, and pressed the power button, hoping it worked.

It did, and she smiled at the picture of Miku, who wore a summer dress and a sunhat, with a big smile of her own.

She remembered that day like it was yesterday. Before they had become a couple, and before even facing the Illuminati, the two of them had gone to the beach alone and played around in the ocean and the sand. She had taken this picture that evening, as the sight of Miku with the setting sun at her back was beautiful beyond compare.

And now, this picture was the one that gave her strength, as if speaking to her from within it. With her spirit reignited, she set the phone aside on the table and returned to empty the kitbag of its contents.

There was nothing left for her to do other than to face this twisted world head on and join the fight against an insurmountable enemy.

No matter what it took.


	3. Fettered Heart

**CONTENT WARNING: This chapter contains slurs. The Drill Sergeant Nasty kind. This will be the only chapter in which they are featured. They by no means represent my views on any topic. They're here for story purposes and nothing more. You have been warned.**

**-!-**

_As she opened her eyes, she found herself sinking into a deep, vast ocean. Floating aimlessly in the dark waters, she squinted as the shine from the sun piercing through the top made its way to her. Her limbs were sprawled, catching onto nothing that could drag her to the surface._

_She wasn't sure how she got to this place, but her mind was too muddled to inquire as to why. Every so often, she could feel as invisible waves were sent through the sea, pulsing at irregular intervals that broke the monotony of her descent._

_This was most likely a dream, she figured. The fact that she had the ability to think so was already unusual, but she didn't care about that. The glare from the sun was painful though, and she wished she could turn away from it, if only to alleviate the strain on her vision._

_Just then, as if reading her thoughts, something blocked out the bright light. Floating down towards her from the nothingness was a silhouette of a person, one she couldn't quite place. All she could tell is that it was slender, but its form was like the deepest void, refusing to be recognized. It descended towards her, and with each inch it covered, she felt her eyes slowly closing once more._

_Sudden exhaustion overtook her._

_And just before everything went dark, the silhouette reached out to her, vanishing together with the deep blue sea._

_-!-_

"Hng..."

_shake shake_

"Hnng...Miku...it's too early..."

_shake shake_

"We don't have school today...let me sleep please..."

"My apologies, Tachibana-san, but I cannot allow that."

Her eyes shot open at the unfamiliar voice. Immediately sitting up in her bed, Hibiki stared at the intruder to her private domain, hugging the blanket to herself.

"W-w-w-wha—!"

"Good morning, Tachibana-san," Elfnein said, standing by the bedside. "I was sent by Professor Sakurai to make sure you awaken on time, as well as brief you on matters we did not discuss last night."

Hibiki blinked rapidly, failing to register what the small alchemist told her. She was never a morning person, and always woke up late to school as a result. Even an alarm clock couldn't wake her, and it didn't help that Miku often left her to fend for herself in order to teach her the importance of punctuality.

"Elfnein-chan!? What're you doing here!?"

Elfnein pouted. "As I said, I'm here to inform you of a few things. It'd be prudent of you to get out of bed and get yourself ready. You must be in the gymnasium in half an hour."

Hibiki blinked rapidly at her. After a few moments of dumb staring, her brain finally booted up, reminding her of where she was.

' _Oh right... Parallel world...'_

That explained the uncomfortable bed, the small room, and Elfnein's presence within it. "R-right. Sorry, I kinda forgot for a moment there. Thanks for reminding me; I'll get up now."

Her eyes still only partly opened, she threw the thin blanket off herself and sat on the foot of the bed. Elfnein took a step back and watched silently as Hibiki rubbed her tired eyes, trying to adjust to the light in the room. Elfnein must've turned it on when she entered.

Her stomach rumbled. She groaned as she rose to her feet and stretched until she heard her joints pop. Tomosato had placed a single can of baked beans inside the kitbag, which had served as her breakfast, lunch, and dinner yesterday. Naturally, for a person as ravenous as her, a single can of beans was not nearly enough to sate her hunger. Yet, that's all she had been given, and she didn't get the chance to request another.

Perhaps now was the best time. "Umm, Elfnein-chan... Would it be okay to ask for food? I barely ate yesterday and I'm kinda—"

"I'm afraid that's not possible at the moment," the alchemist said, bringing Hibiki's spirit further down. "You'll unfortunately miss breakfast, however lunch you will not. You will know your exact schedule once you meet with the others."

So much for that. Hibiki sighed once again, and grabbed her phone from the desk, turning it on to check the time. As expected, it was just a few minutes after 6:00 AM. Miku's sunlit smile met her eyes again, and a small bit of the anxiety that had built up within her died down. Before she could place it back down, Elfnein approached.

"Tachibana-san!" she called out in a louder voice, startling Hibiki. "What is that!?"

"Eh!?" Hibiki let out. "What is what?"

"That thing you just used!" Elfnein clarified, pointing to the cellphone.

"Ah, that's just my phone," Hibiki said, slightly confused by her behavior.

"May I see it?" the alchemist asked with a curious gaze. Hibiki wasn't sure where she was going with this question, but she figured there was no harm in showing her.

"Sure," she replied, handing her the phone. Elfnein, upon receiving it, immediately began to look over the device, turning it up and over to get a grasp of its design.

"Fascinating," she murmured, putting a hand on her chin. "I've never seen such a device before."

Hibiki tilted her head in further confusion. "You've never seen a cellphone before?"

"I have, just not one like this," Elfnein said, keeping her gaze on the device in her hand. "Would you mind if I studied it? I am quite interested in this technology. It is quite unprecedented. Just how advanced is your world?"

Hibiki found the enthusiast prodding from her strange, but chuckled all the while. "Ah, well, I guess it's...pretty advanced? We don't have giant mecha though." She then recalled a particular incident. "Ah! There was this one time where this one group had a giant floating ship and that was pretty cool! But we had to destroy it cos it was being used by bad people. Oh, and if you're going to study it, please don't ruin it, okay? I kinda really need it and the battery is low as it is."

"I understand. I'll exercise due caution," Elfnein said, holding the phone in two hands like it was a precious object. "In the meantime, you should get dressed. You don't want to run late."

"Oh, right."

As Elfnein continued looking over the phone and giving the screen experimental presses, Hibiki began to undress, not at all bothered by the presence of the alchemist in the room. Even if it was a parallel world, the Elfnein from her world had already seen her naked countless times for regular medical checkups. This one didn't seem to care either, as she was too engrossed with the phone to pay attention.

Hibiki dragged the kitbag closer and zipped it open, taking out the necessary parts of the uniform. It included a pair of combat boots, khaki pants, a dark blue undershirt, and a khaki shirt, all of which were, from their state and smell, reused. It was more or less what she had expected from a military uniform, although to actually use it now was a weird feeling she couldn't quite describe.

Sighing again, she began the process of dressing herself. In the meantime, Elfnein stopped her tinkering with the phone and slid it into the inner pocket of her lab coat. "There are a few things you must take into consideration before you head out."

"Hm?" Hibiki let out, continuing her process.

"First, you must not tell anyone your true origins," the alchemist said. "Second, you must not reveal anything we talked about yesterday to anyone. Both of these pieces of information are highly confidential; you do not know where prying ears could be lurking in wait to steal them."

"I know," Hibiki responded, having just finished slipping on the undershirt. "In my world, I couldn't tell anyone I was a Symphogear user either. Only Miku and a few of my friends from school ever found out, so I know how to keep a secret."

"Good," Elfnein said. "Next is your cover story as per what Professor Sakurai put forth on your papers: Due to extenuating family circumstances, you were granted a special exception from the draft until a recent medical exam revealed you as a candidate for a Symphogear. As such, you were immediately enlisted, and all the costs for your family are now being covered by the military. It's a good enough story to force people off your back, and if they try to pry further, claim that you can't talk about it. It may be flimsy, but it's better that they jump to their own conclusions than know the truth."

One boot was slipped on, and then another. She tied the laces just as she remembered and stood up, walking over to the sink to check herself in the mirror.

"And finally, I have two things to give you," Elfnein continued, withdrawing two distinct objects from the front pocket of her lab coat. Hibiki turned to her and received them both, checking them over in her hand. "One is your security clearance card, as the Professor said she'd provide for you. It'll give you access to the most secure locations in the base save for a few, and is nearly as high as hers and mine. The second is your dog tag, which you must wear at all times. Think of it like your relic pendant: it must never be taken off unless for specific circumstances."

"Thanks," Hibiki said in response. She finished putting on the khaki shirt, completing her new look as a fresh recruit of Tokyo Base. She put on the dog tag around her neck and slipped the card into the shirt pocket. "So this is it, huh? It's only my second day and I'm already in a new uniform. It's almost like starting school again."

"Hmm, makes sense, considering this base was built in place of one," Elfnein said.

"Really? Which one?"

"Lydian Private Academy of Music."

Everything stopped. Just as she grabbed the note containing the pledge she had to recite today, Elfnein dropped a bombshell of a revelation on her head. "Eh!? Seriously!? That's the school I went to!"

"I see. In this world, it was razed to the ground by the BETA. When we retook the capital, we quickly constructed this base to serve as a forward outpost. Since then, however, the BETA's attacks on Japan have decreased, although we can never be too careful."

That was... an interesting piece of information for sure. However, it left Hibiki slightly anxious. "What... What happened to all the students?"

"You already know the answer to that."

Elfnein's response was dismissive, but understandable. Hibiki already knew what happened to them; she just didn't want to accept it. She didn't want any more reasons to fear this wretched, broken world.

"We should get going," Elfnein said, heading towards the door.

"R-right..."

Hibiki followed after her, double-checking she hadn't forgotten anything. She locked the door behind her as they exited the room, and now stood in the middle of the brightly lit hallway.

"We shall part ways here," the alchemist told her. "I must head back to the lab. Good luck today, Tachibana-san."

Hibiki, despite herself, smiled. "Thank you, Elfnein-chan. And you can just call me Hibiki."

"I understand. Now then, farewell."

And just like that, she left without another word. Hibiki watched her as she turned the corner, and looked at the spot she disappeared to for a short moment. She sighed again, then withdrew the map Tomosato had given her from her pocket.

As soon as she opened it, she just stared at it with wide eyes. It was huge, showing multiple floors and the maze-like corridors that even the most seasoned of the base's denizens could get lost in. For a moment, she thought she was holding it upside down, yet no matter which way she looked at it, she couldn't figure it out at all. She didn't know where she was on the map, much less where the gymnasium was.

This was bad. Being late for SONG meetings was a big enough cause for a reprimand, so she didn't want to be late for this as well.

Nothing else to do than to ask for directions. Luckily for her, various personnel walked through the hallways. Hopefully, she could make it in time.

-!-

"Umm... I will fulfill my duty to maintain international peace and order, and adhere to the code of conduct..."

By some miracle of the universe, she had barely made it in time to the gym. To her shock and surprise, the only person waiting for her there was Genjuro, who stood on the stage completely still, his eyes watching her like a hawk. She had quickly shuffled inside, offering words of apology which he had regarded with total silence before starting off the one-man ceremony. Soon enough, she had begun reciting the pledge she had been given.

"By... uh..." she mumbled, before reaching into her pocket to take out the note. She had tried to memorize the thing yesterday, but it contained so many difficult words that she couldn't remember them all. She briefly looked to Genjuro, who was waiting impatiently with a scowl on his face. "Cultivating virtue, training my mind and body, and polishing my skills. I shall not take part in political actions, and shall maintain a sense of responsibility, giving my undivided attention to the completion of my mission."

She also just noticed she had completely fumbled the first part of the pledge. How embarrassing, and she was sure Genjuro had noticed her mistake. The entire time he simply stared at her, his gaze not leaving her for even a second and locking her in place. It took everything in her power not to shake like a leaf in the wind. Swallowing once more, she glanced at the note for the final time.

And froze.

She stared at the piece of paper with an incredulous look, not quite sure she had read it right. She blinked several times, hoping that it was just her eyes playing tricks on her. Yet, they were not, and those few bombastic words remained on the page. She looked up, meeting Genjuro's hard stare. Just with his eyes, she could see him push her to continue, and despite her desire to protest the wording of this pledge, she couldn't.

The memory of his frightening interrogation the day before lingered in her mind. It had cultivated that sense of dread and anxiety she had felt since yesterday, and both of those feelings refused to leave her the entire time. She tried her hardest to cheer herself up, but there was an underlying sense of wrongness she felt every second that drained her energy.

She had no choice but to continue, or he would burn her to ashes with his stare. "I swear to never shy away from danger, but to..." she felt herself choking as she recited the final words. "Risk my life in accomplishing my duty, and to fulfill my responsibility to humanity."

That was the end of it. She tucked away the note in her pocket and waited for him to make his next move. A few tense moments passed as silence descended upon the gymnasium as he just watched her.

Finally, he spoke. "We at Tokyo Base bid you welcome, and congratulations on your enlistment."

For some reason, she expected to hear clapping. Yet, the only sound that met her ears was more silence as Genjuro stepped to the front of the stage and jumped down to the floor. He approached her without a word before coming to a stop in front of her. He towered over her like he usually did, and looked down at her as she met his gaze. For some reason, he felt even more insurmountable than her own Genjuro.

"Ah, um..." she tried to say before he immediately cut her off.

"I've heard your story from Professor Sakurai," he said plainly, causing her eyes to widen. "What? Did you truly believe I wouldn't know? I'm the one in charge of the Valkyrie Squadron. Being in the know of everyone's circumstances is paramount to the success of the unit."

"I...I...uh..."

"We must not dawdle. It is time to introduce you to the rest of the unit," he said, and then turned around. "Follow me."

"Ah, yes."

He continuously left her speechless, and left her no quarter as to respond to his hard voice. It was such a major difference to the Genjuro she knew, she almost doubted her ability to see them as the same person. Ryoko's words echoed in her head once again, yet she still had some things she wanted to say.

As she fell into step behind him, she spoke up. "Ummm, Master, I—"

"You either refer to me as Sir or Major," he harshly cut in.

"Ah. Uh... Sir, I have a question," she began. "Why...why does the pledge say to risk our lives?"

"What kind of foolish question is that?" he said without looking back to her. "Even if you come from a different world, you should know very well what it means."

"B-but, doesn't that mean the opposite of what you should be doing? So many people have already died, so wouldn't you want to keep as many as possible alive? You shouldn't give up on life."

She nearly ran into his back as he suddenly came to a stop. She looked up at him as he turned around halfway, and froze when she noticed his piercing glare aimed at her. He showed no emotion on his face, but his eyes alone demonstrated a deep seated fury.

"Your naive words are more liable to get someone killed than that pledge, Tachibana," he said coldly. "I see you don't understand the circumstances we live under, and the circumstances you've found yourself in. Very well, I'll make sure to show you the harsh reality of this world, so you'll never spout such pointless drivel again in your life."

His words shocked her and sent a shiver of fear down her spine again. How was it possible that rather than inspire courage, Genjuro could be so frightening?

The tone with which he spoke promised something akin to hell. He turned away again and continued walking, leading her out of the gymnasium and out to the field.

-!-

"ATTENTION!"

His bellow echoed in the courtyard, reaching the ears of the five currently standing in the very middle of it. If there was anything that proved to her that this was the former Lydian campus, it was the track spanning nearly the entire length of the courtyard. However, rather than the usual rubber-like material they were made out of, the track was a simple chalk carving in the dirt, the absolute cheapest way one could be made.

The five ran towards the two of them while Hibiki waited patiently by Genjuro's side. A few seconds later, they came to a stop before them, and entered a parade stance. Hibiki, of course, instantly recognized all of them. Genjuro had spoken about them during his interrogation yesterday, and Ryoko also brought them up in their talk afterwards.

Kazanari Tsubasa, Yukine Chris, Maria Cadenzavna Eve, Akatsuki Kirika, and Tsukuyomi Shirabe. Looking exactly the same as she remembered them, except wearing identical combat fatigues, were her friends. Her fellow Adaptors, with which she had gone through so much with, stood before her with a serious expression, one she had found to be strange to see on them.

They were all dressed similarly to herself, with combat boots, khaki pants, the dark blue undershirt, and their dog tags hanging from their necks. Additionally, aside from Kirika, whose hair was too short, they had their hair tied up in a high ponytail, giving them a bizarre sense of uniformity with their similar appearances. She had already seen Tsubasa and Maria with such a hairstyle before, but it was new on Chris and Shirabe.

They stood completely still, their hands behind their backs and their legs together, looking not towards Genjuro but straight forward with their heads held high.

"I hereby introduce you to Cadet Tachibana Hibiki. She'll be joining you from now on as a fellow Symphogear Adaptor," he announced sternly. "Due to her family circumstances, she's been exempted from the draft until now. Her relic is Gungnir. I leave it to you to get her acquainted with the military way of life."

All five of them yelled in response. "SIR YES SIR!"

Hibiki was taken aback by the guttural shout. She blinked rapidly at their enthusiasm, however, she did not miss the very brief glance Tsubasa threw her way at the mention of her relic. She recalled the manner by which the Tsubasa from her own world treated her at first due to this information, and her own lack of maturity in dealing with her.

Now, over a year later, she's learned her lesson. This time, she wouldn't make the same mistake.

"Join them, Tachibana," he ordered.

"Ah, yes."

Her answer dissatisfied him, as she could tell from his follow-up glare. She went over to stand to Tsubasa's right, who ignored her and kept her eyes forward. Hibiki looked to her for a moment before turning her gaze back to Genjuro.

And at that moment, she got the first taste of what he meant.

"Since you've got a new member, I will reiterate what you've heard the first time you stepped foot into this base," he began, pacing in front of them from one end to the other. "I am Major Kazanari Genjuro, and I am your commanding officer. You are the members of the Valkyrie Squadron, a specialized unit of the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces. You were all selected due to your high harmonization rates with your designated relics, and will form the Symphogear Unit under the direct command of the United Nations. And here is something you should know..."

His voice trailed off for a moment.

Before he exploded, leaving Hibiki frozen to the core.

"You six are the unluckiest bunch of cunts this world has ever seen!"

A booming voice the likes of which she has never heard from him left his mouth, and she could only stare in shock as he continued with his brazen words.

"Out of the one billion people left on this world, only you six landed on tails and were chosen to join this unit! But make no mistake, just because you were selected for a special unit does not mean you're better than everyone else! In fact, you're even lower! While the rest of the troops come here with real purpose, all I see in front of me are a bunch of dumbfuck spoiled pussies! You are the lowest of the low, lesser than even the shit in the toilet!"

Who is this man?

"But that's what I'm here for, to beat you into shape! From here on out, you will speak only when spoken to! I will turn you sad sacks of trash into real weapons! You will fight, you will kill, and you will die as ordered! Until then, you're not even human fucking beings! Am I understood?!"

"SIR YES SIR!"

The others screamed at the top of their lungs, while Hibiki remained stunned, unable to comprehend his vulgar words. Unluckily for her, he noticed her bewilderment.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU, TACHIBANA!"

"Ah, ah—"

He thundered towards her and bent down, screaming into her face.

"ARE YOU RETARDED, TACHIBANA?! When I ask you something, you respond with 'Yes sir!' You don't stand there slack jawed like a dumbass! Do you understand, Tachibana?!"

Her voice shook in fear. "Y-yes sir."

"BULLSHIT, I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"YES SIR!"

The pressure was ungodly. Memories of her own Genjuro replayed in her mind, and the sheer contrast to what she knew left her frozen to the spot. His already terrifying stature, now right in her face, almost made her want to cry. She couldn't help but straight up obey, too stunned to do anything else.

Who is this man?

He finally left her personal space and resumed his pacing.

"I don't give a shit if you like me or not! My purpose here is to set you maggots straight! If you don't want to become a meal for the BETA, then you will do exactly as I say and nothing else! Am I understood?!"

"SIR YES SIR!"

This time, Hibiki found herself joining in the shouting. She desperately wanted to run away, but she felt as though his words alone chained her to the ground. She couldn't move an inch, lest all the rage in his voice would be turned on her.

"You have only one way out of this shithole, and that is death! You don't even get the luxury of leaving due to injury, disease, or anything of the sort! You don't get the sweet life of leaving after three years of service! You will stay tools of the military until you break! Not even god will sign your death certificate now! Am I understood?!"

"SIR YES SIR!"

Who is this man?

"AKATSUKI!" he bellowed, stopping in front of Kirika.

"YES SIR!"

"What is your purpose here?!"

"TO FIGHT, KILL, AND DIE SIR!"

Hibiki couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe the bubbly, sweet Kirika could ever sound so stern, and she could swear her voice was several tones deeper than she remembered.

He then went to Maria. "EVE!"

"YES SIR!"

"What are you fighting for?!"

"WE FIGHT TO TAKE BACK EARTH FROM THE BETA SIR!"

Maria looked positively rigid. The confident yet warm attitude she remembered from her was nowhere to be found. He glanced at Hibiki from the corner of his eye.

"STAND UP STRAIGHT TACHIBANA!"

She flinched.

"PUT YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR BACK AND PUT YOUR LEGS TOGETHER! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOUR DISGUSTING CAMEL TOE, AM I UNDERSTOOD?!"

"YES SIR!"

She felt like her heart was about to rupture. Hurriedly she did as he ordered, imitating the others in their posture.

Who is this man?

He left Maria and continued his pacing. "Your training here will be harsh and unfair! If one of you fucks up, everyone pays for it! I will turn you from a bunch of ugly whores into a unified force, stronger than any other! You will not laugh and you will not cry, because I swear to god, if I catch any of you doing either, I will make you wish you died instead! AM I UNDERSTOOD?!"

"SIR YES SIR!"

Who.

Is.

This.

Man?

He finally stopped pacing and stood in front of them all. "We'll be starting our regular morning routine. You will be running, and you will not stop until I tell you to stop. You will run even if you puke your guts out or piss your pants. Anyone who falls behind will be punished hard! Am I understood?"

"SIR YES SIR!"

Okay, running. She could deal with that. As if reading her thoughts, Genjuro yelled in her direction again. "I've heard you've got a good track record, Tachibana! Let's see if you're worth a damn!"

"Y-yes sir."

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU TACHIBANA! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"

"YES SIR!"

"Bullshit! I think you're lying! Clean the shit out of your ears and make sure you answer correctly the first time, am I understood?!"

"YES SIR!"

"NOW GET TO RUNNING!"

"SIR YES SIR!"

And just like that, the others turned around and promptly began their jog around the track. Hibiki, still somewhat stunned, took a moment to realize what was happening before she hurriedly caught up with them. She didn't want Genjuro to scream at her for falling behind.

Thus began their run. Thrown into the burning pot straight away, Hibiki focused on keeping up with the others. She was still in fantastic shape, so it wasn't very difficult to do so. In the meantime, she studied the others as they ran as well.

Tsubasa and Maria were in the lead, as they always were. Surprisingly, Chris and Kirika were right on their heels, which Hibiki found to be shocking. Those two's fitness levels were always pretty poor, especially Chris. She struggled to handle Genjuro's training, and always just barely scraped by. To see her actually managing to keep up with the most athletic duo of the group was incredible. Likewise for Kirika.

And so somehow, the one who fell behind was Shirabe. She recalled the petite girl being somewhat of a good runner, as well as being able to achieve quite astonishing feats of gymnastics. If anything, it was she who was supposed to be keeping up with the duo in the front. Yet here, Hibiki could visibly see her struggle, huffing and puffing like her life depended on it.

That...that's odd. It didn't look right to Hibiki no matter which way she looked at it. Deciding to perhaps try and initiate some small talk, she caught up with Shirabe and somewhat easily ran by her side. She briefly looked to Genjuro who watched them all like a hawk, and then turned back to her.

"H-hey there," she said, trying to pretend she doesn't know her. It was going to be difficult to do so, but she had to try. "How are you?"

Clearly, a master of smalltalk. The only response she got from Shirabe was, unfortunately, silence.

"I'm Hibiki. It's nice to meet you, Shira— I mean, yeah..."

"Don't talk to me."

And just like that, rejected.

"Ah, hahahahahaha..."

Her nervous laugh seem to grate on Shirabe's nerves, who frowned at the sound of her voice. Well, that was a complete failure. Maybe she'll have more luck with—

"TACHIBANA!" Genjuro yelled. Oh no. "Is something funny?!"

"N-no sir— I mean, NO SIR!"

"THEN WHY THE FUCK DID I HEAR YOU LAUGHING?! Are you having fun?! Is this amusing?! You think this is a goddamn circus?! Or are you just checking out Tsukuyomi?!"

Wait, what? "N-no sir!"

"You think she's cute?! You want to get it on with her?!"

She felt her face flush red, both from his vulgar description and his accusation. How the heck did he reach that conclusion just from her laughter? Not only that, both Kirika and Chris were looking back at her, the former with a confused tilt of the head and the latter grinning like a madwoman.

"NO SIR!"

"Well ain't that too bad for you, Tachibana! Luckily, I got a partner right here waiting for you!" he yelled, and gestured harshly towards a pile of giant army bags. "You getting the bag! Pick that up and put it on! You're running with this fucker from now on!"

"Y-yes sir!"

What a disaster. Just a small laugh landed her in so much trouble. And it wasn't like she was doing it on purpose either... But she figured he wasn't going to accept that no matter what she said.

As they completed the first lap, she ran over to the pile. It was humongous, and upon trying to pick it up, she could feel how heavy it was too. She briefly looked at him with wide eyes, and was met by an angry glare. "What the hell are you waiting for?!"

She flinched. Okay, she could do this. She carried heavier things than this on her back before. With a heave, she forced the khaki bag on her back. She stumbled back from the increase in weight. She hurried to balance herself, heaving forward with her back now bent from the immense weight bearing down on it. Even if she could handle it, she felt that it was too much.

"Um, Mas— Sir, isn't this a bit...?"

"Are you fucking complaining, Tachibana?!" he shouted in her face. She cringed again from his booming voice. "Be thankful I'm not beating your ass to the ground! Now get moving!"

Absolutely no room for negotiation. She sighed, and slightly adjusting the bag on her back, went to resume her run. Immediately she felt the difference as her knees bent more than usual, and her thighs screamed as she moved forward. Joining back onto the track, she had obviously fallen behind, with Tsubasa and Maria having already completed half the track in the meantime.

Every step felt herculean in effort with the additional burden on her shoulders. Was this normal? Why was he doing this? Who is this man?

"YUKINE!"

Once again, he screamed. Chris, who had been running further ahead, flinched. Hibiki couldn't quite hear what she said, but it sounded like 'Oh crap.'

"DO I HEAR YOU TALKING SHIT, YUKINE?!"

Caught red-handed, Chris couldn't do anything but admit her misdeed. "YES SIR!"

"DO YOU SUCK DICK, YUKINE?!"

"SIR NO SIR!"

"Well thank god you don't! I pity the fool who'd dare put his junk in your shit-filled mouth! Since you obviously got energy to spare, then you get the bag too! GET ON IT!"

"SIR YES SIR!"

"ARE YOU THANKFUL, YUKINE?!"

"SIR YES SIR!"

And just like herself, Chris ran to the pile of giant military bags and put one. Since she was shorter, Chris struggled a lot more with it as she resumed running. Hibiki could only stare at her with wide eyes, both pitying her and wondering what she said that got her in trouble.

"Good for you, Yukine! Now if you keep this up, you might not become food for the BETA right away! After all, they'd love to chow down on someone like you! Huge tits for them are like gourmet meals! A pair of meat buns ripe for feasting! You like that, Yukine? Well you'll go by meatbun from now on! Cadet Meatbun! Do you like that name?!"

"SIR YES SIR!"

It was pure humiliation. For one reason or another, Genjuro was enjoying humiliating them with his words and actions. She didn't know for what reason that was, but with every second that passed, she felt the desire to speak up rising.

And barely a second after he forced Chris to take the bag...

"EVE! WIPE THAT SMIRK OFF YOUR FACE!"

"YES SIR!"

"Listen here, Eve! There's two things I hate: Slowass people who take forever to get shit done, and smug fucks who think they're better than others! WHICH ONE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, EVE?!"

"THE LATTER SIR!"

"So you think you're hot shit, don't you?! Well, you get extra special care! Take the bag and give me a hundred! The more you smile, the more hundreds you'll do! Don't you fucking dare drop, you hear me?!"

"SIR YES SIR!"

And just like that, she got to it. She ran to the bags, put one on, went down to the ground, and started doing push ups. With absolutely no complaints, she got to it as fast as possible.

It was inhuman to see. Hibiki herself could handle it, but to see Chris and Maria be subject to this demonic training and treatment further aggravated her core. She kept on running, sending periodic glances towards Chris, who was struggling greatly with the weight. Yet, despite it all, she kept going, adjusting her weight periodically to make the load more bearable.

And yet, it wasn't over yet. This strange, incomprehensible man wearing Genjuro's skin was not done just yet.

"AKATSUKI!" he screamed this time. It's almost like he was deliberately targeting each and every one of them personally for practically any reason, as if he was looking to humiliate them as much as possible. "WHY ARE YOU RUNNING SO SLOW, AKATSUKI?!"

"I-I'm...a little tired, sir!" Kirika yelled back, panting heavily.

"WHY WOULD YOU BE TIRED, AKATSUKI?! WHAT COULD YOU HAVE POSSIBLY DONE TO BE TIRED?!"

"I DON'T KNOW SIR!"

"WELL I THINK I HAVE AN IDEA! Maybe if you and Tsukuyomi stopped eating each other out every night, maybe you wouldn't be so fucking tired! Tell me Akatsuki, did it taste good?!"

"Did what taste good, sir?!"

"YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" he bellowed like a rabid lion. "DID TSUKUYOMI'S PUSSY TASTE GOOD, AKATSUKI?!"

His vulgarity almost made Hibiki stop and charge at him in anger. She looked to Kirika in front of her, who was already flushing red, and then at Shirabe, who was both red in the face and biting her lip until she drew blood. When Kirika failed to respond, he screamed again. "ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION, AKATSUKI!"

Perhaps out of overwhelming fear and pressure, Kirika could do nothing but yell out the answer in return, letting all those gathered hear her unfiltered thoughts.

"IT TASTED GREAT, SIR!"

"WELL AIN'T THAT FUCKING NICE! Perhaps you let everyone have a taste of it later! Either that, or you take the bag too! HOW DOES THAT SOUND?!"

"I will take the bag, sir!"

"THEN HOP ON IT!"

And again, just like the others, Kirika ran over to take a bag, put it on, and resumed running. Even though she'd just been shamed in public, she showed no distress at the fact. Other than being embarrassed, she returned to the training without a single complaint, which Hibiki simply couldn't understand.

How? How could they take this so lightly? How could they just stand there and be called out like that? His degrading words were nothing short of harassment. Yet, they obeyed him without a word. If her own Genjuro had acted the same, nobody would let him hear the end of it.

Is this the truth of this world? Is this what he meant by making her face the harsh reality?

So harsh was it that even his own flesh and blood didn't get special treatment.

"KAZANARI!"

Unlike the others, Tsubasa didn't even look in his direction as he shouted her name. As rigid and expressionless as a machine, she answered loudly.

"SIR!"

"Why are you running like you got a stick up your ass, huh?! What kind of fucked up form is that?! How many times do I have to tell you?! Are you fucking deaf, Kazanari?!"

"SIR, I HAVE NO EXCUSE, SIR!" she answered. Despite her shout, Hibiki noticed how lacking in emotion it was. Like she was answering not due to being truly embarrassed, but rather that it was a given that she would.

"Maybe get Tachibana to clean the shit out of _your_ ears too! Drop and give me a hundred!"

"SIR!"

She didn't even bother leaving the track. She just stopped, went down to the ground, and started doing push ups.

Genjuro didn't like that. "NOT ON THE TRACK YOU RETARD! Get the hell out of the way! And give me another hundred because you pissed me off!"

"SIR!"

She obeyed him without question. Hibiki knew how by-the-books Tsubasa could be, or at least, the Tsubasa she knew. It truly was like watching a machine in action; it knows what to do, but it must always be told how to do it. It will do so well, but unless given specific instructions, it will make mistakes.

And so they kept running. Hibiki once again surveyed the courtyard, taking count of who was doing what. Chris, Kirika, Shirabe, and herself were still running, while Tsubasa and Maria were doing pushups like mad. She could see how both Chris and Kirika were close to collapsing to the ground, barely able to keep going with the massive weight on their backs. Even for herself it was becoming difficult, as each step became more and more sluggish due to exhaustion.

This was pure torture. No matter what they did, he'll never be satisfied. She could never support such a thing; treating people like tools to be used and discarded went against every single one of her principles. But she couldn't say anything, because he was just that frightening, and she felt as though he'd follow through on his previous threats.

And then, the last remaining runner fumbled.

Shirabe, perhaps due to a misstep, or perhaps due to exhaustion, slipped. She fell to the ground knees first, crying out as she did so. Hibiki couldn't even turn around in time before Genjuro was already on her.

"TSUKUYOMI!" he screamed, thundering towards Shirabe. It was as if his footsteps shook the very ground he walked on, throwing up dust in the air with each and every step he took.

The training immediately stopped as Kirika promptly tossed aside the heavy bag and ran to her side before Genjuro could get to her. Hibiki soon followed, while Chris merely put it aside and walked towards them calmly. Tsubasa and Maria stopped their repetitions short and stood up, watching from afar.

"Shirabe-chan!" Hibiki called out, dropping all pretenses of formality. She reached her side, crouching down by the fallen girl whose face was scrunched up in pain. She reached towards her leg with her hand, cradling her burning thigh.

By the time Kirika joined her as well, Genjuro was already upon them. He loomed over all three of them, his arms crossed, and looked down at Shirabe with contempt, not even registering the others. "Get up, Tsukuyomi."

Shirabe's response was a pained grunt as she tried to rise to her feet, but to no avail.

"I said, _get up._ "

She groaned as she attempted to obey his orders, sweat dripping down her face from the exertion. "Y-yes...sir..."

Hibiki couldn't bear watching. Before she could say anything, Kirika was already on it. To her shock, however, she did not say what she had expected.

"C'mon Shirabe, you have to get up," Kirika said softly to her, offering her a shoulder to lean on.

Hibiki's eyes widened, aghast at the ludicrous comment Kirika just made. Why? Why was she trying to push her to continue?! She's obviously in pain!

There was no way she was letting this go on.

"No, you can't," she said, putting her hand on Shirabe's free shoulder. "Don't get up; you need to rest. You pushed yourself too hard."

Shockingly, Shirabe's response wasn't to quietly listen to her. No, instead, she slapped away Hibiki's hand, her pained expression turning to anger. "Don't...you dare...pity...me..."

"W-wha—"

"I won't repeat myself again," Genjuro grumbled, his visage becoming darker by the second. "Get up, Tsukuyomi. You will keep running."

That's it.

"NO!" Hibiki yelled out, shooting to her feet. "She can't keep running! Can't you see she's suffering?! If she keeps going, she'll hurt herself badly!"

"And who are you to decide that?" Genjuro said flatly. His cold answer shook her to the core, and before she could respond, he gestured with his chin to the pair on the ground. "See for yourself."

Still livid, Hibiki turned to look at Shirabe and immediately froze. The short girl, despite the pain she was going through, was slowly rising to her feet. Even without Kirika's help, she managed to stand up, albeit uneasily as her legs trembled uncontrollably. She put her hands on her knees to try and stop the shaking, slowly bringing herself up higher and higher.

"Shirabe-chan, what're you doing?! Stop!"

"Don't...address me...so...informally...I'm...not...your...friend..."

"W-wha—"

"You underestimated her, Tachibana," Genjuro said with a disturbing amount of calmness. "Do you think you know better than her what she's capable of? Do you think you know better than _me_ what she's capable of?"

"What?! No! That's not what I meant! I just—"

"No, I see very clearly what this is," he cut her off, not letting her say another word. "You looked down on her. No, you looked down on all of them. Did you think I didn't notice your stares as they did the exercise? Do you know what I saw?"

She couldn't say a thing in response to his accusations. He was wrong, she never thought that at all!

"I see an arrogant bitch who thinks she's better than everybody else. A punk who lives in her own little world and believes she knows better than everyone else. Who the hell do you think you are, Tachibana? Do enlighten me."

What could she possibly say to him? What sort of justification could she find for her actions? "I...I just wanted to help her when she was suffering! Why would you make her keep going anyway?! How can you be so cruel?!"

"Cruel? Me?" Genjuro said in what seemed like genuine astonishment. He then let out a dissatisfied huff. "You truly are a fool, aren't you? What do you think I am here for, Tachibana? Do you think I'll coddle you, tuck you in at night, and read you a bedtime story? You clearly don't seem to understand the situation we're in. I am here to make sure you _don't die._ Failure on the battlefield means certain death. You do not get second chances or do-overs there."

"Then you can do so without humiliating us or spouting such vulgar words! It's not right! That's not what will make people stronger!" she yelled back, her face reddening as she panted in anger.

"If you can't handle something as simple as that, you're not worthy of being on the battlefield," he said plainly. "The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war. The more you bleed in peace, the less you die in war. But you seem intent on not letting that happen, Tachibana. You seem just fine with letting them all die because you decided by yourself what they can and can't handle. That, Tachibana, makes _you_ the cruel one. You have no right to say otherwise."

"But I...I—!"

"You don't decide _anything_ here. _You,_ a fresh recruit who's full of herself, has no right to decide anything for others. The only thing you do, Tachibana, is obey the orders you're given. _I_ decide what each and every one of you does; you start only when I tell you and you stop only when I tell you," he continued. "When I tell you to fight, you will fight. When I tell you to kill, you will kill. And when I tell you to die, you _will_ die."

She was silent. There was not a single thing she could say in response to his bone-chilling declaration. She could only stare as the man in front of her swiftly became a demon in her eyes, one she couldn't support. A demon wearing Genjuro's skin and using his voice.

And at that moment, she realized it. This was the moment she understood what he meant by those words. This is what he referred to when he spoke of a harsh reality.

He tore his gaze away from her and spoke loudly. "It seems that Tachibana here is looking down on all of you! She thinks she knows better than all of you what you're capable of! Isn't this a perfect opportunity to show her what you can do?"

The older duo approached the group, and they stood around him as they waited for further orders.

"All of you, give me three hundred!" he screamed out. The ridiculously unreasonable number went unnoticed by the five, who immediately replied.

"SIR YES SIR!"

Tsubasa, Maria, and Kirika all dropped to the ground at once and began their reps. Chris mumbled something incoherently before she too joined in, while Shirabe looked to Hibiki with a disdainful glare for a moment before uneasily lowering herself too.

"Tachibana, you get to _watch._ Aren't you glad? Since you obviously don't think they're good enough, how about they prove it to you? Make sure to pay close attention or they'll have to start from the beginning."

And with that, he fell silent. Hibiki stood in the middle of the circle, trapped between the others who were doing repetition after repetition, trying their hardest to complete the three hundred he ordered.

It went on and on.

And as she looked into his eyes, she found a deep abyss she could never understand look back at her.

-!-

The walk to the cafeteria was excruciating. After the others had finished their repetitions against all odds, there was nothing she could say as the training came to an end right there. Genjuro had dismissed them, and she hadn't failed to miss the derisive stares they sent her way.

Of course they'd be angry. Genjuro had said so himself: when one person messes up, they all suffer. It was only then she realized just what he had meant by someone messing up.

He didn't care if they faltered in their run or did something stupid. He only cared when someone tried questioning his orders and decisions. And Hibiki, in all her naivety, failed to comprehend just how far he was willing to go. It was as if he had known ahead of time that she'd mess up this badly, as if he expected her to do so.

It was inevitable after all. That training was just a tiny bit of proof as to what awaited her. Upon being left alone with him, he had reprimanded her and insulted her, asking her if she clearly understood.

She was forced to admit that she did.

After that, she was finally dismissed. It was lunchtime now, and the entire base seemed to come to life as they hurried to get their stomachs filled. Hibiki, after such an awful morning, was dying to finally have something to eat. She was so hungry it was painful, which only made this day worse than it already was.

She sighed again. She didn't belong in this place, but she couldn't leave. More than anything, she was terrified of seeing the others again; who knows how they'll treat her after they had to suffer her punishment in her place.

To her surprise, the cafeteria was actually called the PX, a term she's never heard before. Luckily, she got directions and an explanation from a kind stranger that led her to her current location. She didn't understand why a Post Exchange and the cafeteria were the same place, but she didn't care enough to ask.

As she walked inside, she surveyed the busy surroundings. The air was filled with lively conversations as the soldiers mingled with each other, finally free from their morning duties for a short while. She stared in surprise, having expected the cafeteria of a military base to be a little more disciplined.

It was inspiring to see. The fact that even in such a terrible world humans could keep their camaraderie intact made her feel somewhat hopeful... But after what she experienced this morning, she wasn't sure what to believe anymore.

And to think this all happened within the span of two days. Just yesterday she had arrived in this place and already her core was shaken. Perhaps what she told Ryoko wasn't entirely truthful. Perhaps she really did experience a bigger shock than she cared to admit.

She shook her head. No point in dwelling on that now; food awaited her, and she shall rush onward to meet it with all her strength...even if her strength was a little bit drained from the hellish training.

She took a tray, a fork, a knife, and a plate from the stand and entered the line, following after some an unknown soldier with blonde hair. She moved down the line absentmindedly, wondering about his origins, before she met face to face with the lunch lady. It was an older woman, slightly fuller in build, with her hair tied in a bun at the back. As soon as the blonde soldier stepped away, her eyes caught onto Hibiki's, and a big smile shone on her face.

"Oh my! You're a new face here!" she exclaimed happily. Hibiki was caught off guard by her positivity in such an environment. "I'm Kyouzuka Shizue. What's your name, sweetie?"

"Ah," Hibiki mumbled, letting out a relieved laugh. "I'm Tachibana Hibiki. I, uh, came here just yesterday."

"Really? And I didn't see you at all! Poor thing, you look famished! Here, let me give you a nice big portion," Shizue said, reaching deep into the giant pot with her ladle. She scooped out what looked like fish with soup, and poured it onto the bowl on Hibiki's tray. "And here's some rice for you~"

Oh god, rice. Just the name of the food made Hibiki's mouth water, and stars lit up in her eyes as Shizue gave her a humungous portion of it. She looked at her now full tray gluttonously, and looked up at the lunch lady as she placed a strange looking juice box on her tray as well.

"If you need anything else, don't be afraid to come and tell me, alright?" Shizue said, and Hibiki nodded rapidly. With a smile, she continued. "Then welcome to Tokyo Base!"

Hibiki couldn't help but bow her head in gratitude. "Thank you."

"No problem!"

Hibiki stepped away from the line, holding her tray carefully as to not spill any of the food. It smelled quite nice, and she was barely able to hold herself back from devouring it all on the spot. She lifted her head and scanned the cafeteria again, looking around to see if there was an empty seat somewhere. To nobody's surprise, it was filled to the brim, and people nearly bumped into her as they moved about.

Then her eyes landed on one singular empty spot. To her surprise and concern, it was right where her fellow Adaptors— or more accurately, her squadmates, sat. Since she had been forced to stay behind, they had gone on ahead of her. Looks like they are still eating. Of all the boisterous groups gathered in the cafeteria, theirs was shockingly silent, each and every one of them eating their portions with no conversation.

Swallowing nervously, Hibiki approached them, carefully dodging the various other people gathered to reach the empty spot. Once she arrived, she stopped and looked at them, putting on the biggest smile she could.

"H-hey, is this spot free?"

Of all of them, only Kirika looked up to her with a small smile. "Hey! Yeah, it's free."

"Ah, thanks."

With Kirika's approval. Hibiki slowly set her tray down on the table and took the seat across from Tsubasa, who didn't even look acknowledge her presence. To Tsubasa's right was Chris, who ate with a bored expression on her face, and to Chris's' right was Maria. To Hibiki's right was Kirika, and to her right, Shirabe.

Hibiki surveyed their expressions for a moment before turning to her meal. With a quick thanks, she quickly took her fork and dug into the rice, taking a huge portion and tossing it into her mouth in no time at all.

Then, she bit down.

And almost immediately felt like hurling.

Her reflexive response forced the rice down her throat, and she choked as she started coughing uncontrollably. The rice, in her mouth, felt like she had just chewed down on plastic. Cold, hard plastic that tasted like sand, and the tingles of spice at the edge of her tongue only further exacerbated the horrible feeling. She quickly reached for the juice box, stuck in the straw, and hurriedly took a sip to force down the rice.

And once again, she was on the edge of throwing up.

She put her hands over her mouth as she tried her hardest not to empty the contents of her stomach all over the table. Betrayed both by her favorite meal and the drink she was provided, tears formed at the edge of her eyes as she looked up at the others.

And her eyes met Chris's, who proceeded to laugh out loud, pounding her hand on the table like a maniac. Maria smirked, letting out a derisive huff as she continued eating.

"Oh man! The look on your face!" Chris bellowed, blatantly pointing at Hibiki with her finger.

Hibiki wasn't sure what to be more shocked by: the horrendous food or Chris's attitude.

"Yukine-san, that's not nice," Kirika chided the loud girl.

"Well it wasn't nice doing push up until my arms bled either," Chris retorted. "That's what she gets for making that happen. Be thankful I'm not planning on hazing her."

Hibiki wasn't sure what that meant. Before she could ask, Kirika turned to her. "Sorry about that, Tachibana-san. I'm Akatsuki Kirika, and she's Yukine Chris," she said, gesturing to each of the girls. "The quiet one over there is Kazanari Tsubasa, our squad leader. Over there is Maria Cadenzavna Eve, the only foreigner in our group and the second in command. And next to me is Tsukuyomi Shirabe."

Oh thank god, at least Kirika was at least somewhat similar to the one she knew. Without missing a beat, Hibiki bowed her head down. "I'm sorry! Because of me, you—"

"Save it," Maria cut in, taking a bite of her own food. "This isn't the first time this happened and it's most likely not going to be the last time. Why, the last time, it was Yukine here who caused us all to get punished for her fuck up, and we've only been here a week."

Chris vocally cringed at being reminded of a past failure Hibiki didn't know about. Maria smirked once again while Kirika let out a short laugh. "Yeah, don't worry, we won't hold it against you," Kirika said.

"Speak for yourself," Chris said, eliciting another pout from the blonde. She then turned to Hibiki and pointed to the tray. "Anyway, just so you know, the reason the food is so shit is because it's synthetic."

That caused Hibiki to narrow her eyes in confusion. "Synthetic? What do you mean?"

"Wait, you didn't know? Wow, talk about a spoiled little princess. I bet it was fun eating all the good organic shit you can still get your hands on," Chris added, causing Kirika to sigh. "Anyway, you know how everything the BETA touch is reduced to ashes? So that also happens to the fields. They're so thorough, they literally drain the nutrients out of the ground until it becomes a total infertile husk that nothing can grow on. Half of the fucking country is nothing but rice fields, and you can't grow anything in them. So, the only solution to the food shortage, especially for soldiers, was to go the super manufactured route, which is how you get this piece of garbage."

She poked her fork into the so-called fish and held it aloft. "Still, they made sure it's full of all those feel-good nutrients that keep you in tip top shape. Too bad they couldn't do anything about the taste." She bit down on it and chewed lazily, waving her fork around. "The juice is the same. Helps with the recovery period after exercises and whatnot, they say. I don't believe them because nothing this nutritious should ever taste so horrible. If you told me to choose between drinking cow piss and this shit, I'd fucking tell you to bring over the whole goddamn herd."

She ate her piece and then pointed at Hibiki with the fork. "So, princess dumbass, you can forget about all your fancy meals. You eat what you get here and nothing else."

Well, that didn't help improve her appetite. Now her tray of food looked more like a rotting landfill than it did a meal. In her mind's eye, she imagined those wisps of gruesome purple smoke rise from the good, as usually happened in anime. She sighed again as she realized that this was going to be a daily thing, whether she liked it or not. Steeling her stomach, she took a bite of the so-called fish. As expected, it tasted horrible, and she cringed as she chewed on it.

"It'll take a while getting used to," Kirika told her.

Yeah, she already figured that. Putting her fork down for a moment, Hibiki looked in their direction. "Um... There's something I want to ask."

"Hm?"

She swallowed nervously again. "Has he... why is he like this?" she asked, and Kirika tilted her head in confusion. The other didn't seem to care too much about her question as they remained glued to their own food. "Mas— I mean, the major. Why is he so..."

"That's just how it is," Maria said. "He's been in the army far longer than we have, and we can't imagine what sort of horrors he went through."

"But still, to treat us like tools, and to speak like that! It's so... It's so—!" Hibiki gritted her teeth as she remembered what he did. "It was like he was torturing us! And to make Shira— I mean, Tsukuyomi-san run even when she couldn't, and pushing us until we break! That's... That's not how training works at all!"

This time, it was Shirabe who responded. She slammed down her fist on the table, and glared daggers at her food. "I won't tell you again," she seethed. "Do _not_ pity me."

Kirika quickly turned to her in an attempt to calm her down. "Now now Shirabe, she just didn't know. Please go easy on her."

Shirabe's response was to turn her head down and resume eating, this time taking bigger chunks in order to finish her meal faster. Kirika turned back to Hibiki with a reassuring smile.

"You say that like you know how training works," Chris said to Hibiki, forcing her head to her. "I was surprised to see you're so fit, but whatever it is you did outside is not going to work here. We're not training here to inflate our goddamn ego. We're training here to survive."

"But still! Can't he show even a little bit of care?! He even treated Tsubasa-san badly, and she's his family! How can you all just accept this so easily?!"

The aforementioned girl paused everything, and slowly put down her cutlery on the tray. Her composure seemed to break a tiny bit as she stared at Hibiki.

"I do not recall permitting you to refer to me by my given name, Tachibana. You will refer to me as either Kazanari or Squad Leader," she said sternly. "As for the major, it matters little whether we are related or not. We both understand our position, and something as meaningless as blood ties cannot stand in the way of our duty. We all understand this, and it is imperative that you do as well. If you allow pointless emotional attachment to cloud your judgement, you will only meet death on the battlefield."

Pointless emotional attachment. Is that how she viewed it? That's...

Hibiki couldn't stand for that. She inadvertently rose from her seat, and her voice came out louder than she had expected. "But that's wrong! That's not how you become strong! Only by understanding each other can we become better! Cruelty will only make things worse!"

Tsubasa took a sip from the juice, showing absolutely no emotion on her face as she set it back down on the table. "What a fool you are, Tachibana."

"Eh?"

"No, it seems you are merely naive, or perhaps, ignorant," she said, narrowing her eyes at the newcomer. "Since when were you under the impression that there is no understanding?"

Hibiki couldn't say anything to that, watching with her mouth gaping as Tsubasa took her tray and rose from her seat. "It is precisely because we understand that we have managed to accept this cruel world. Allow me to reiterate what the major told you during today's training: if you cannot handle the words of a single man, then you will never be able to handle the horrors of the battlefield." Her face then scrunched up in silent anger, "If you truly claim to wield Gungnir, then you will _understand_ that."

She paused, and then turned to the others. "Our training resumes in ten minutes. We must make haste."

And that's where she left it. Without another word, Tsubasa left the table, putting her tray back and heading out of the cafeteria. Obeying her words, the others rose as well, their meals finished right on time. They followed after their squad leader, leaving the cafeteria almost as fast as she did. Only Hibiki remained behind, her bowls still nearly full, and her mind racing a mile a minute.

Her appetite had been summarily destroyed, and her concerns were cold-heartedly shut down. The more time she had to think about it, the more hellish this world became in her eyes.

Not even the cacophony of the cafeteria was enough to drown out the ever-growing dread in her heart, beating harshly against her ribcage. The enveloping sense of wrongness had returned two-fold, and just from that she barely held herself back from puking once again.

She couldn't accept this world.

And this world seemed to not accept her either.

With that solemn realization in mind, she gave up on eating. Rising from her seat as well, she left the cafeteria in a hurry, following after the rest of her squadmates.

And towards the next hellish part of the training, directed by the demon masquerading as her beloved commander.

-!-

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Within the confines of the darkened room, the clock ticked with its usual maddening rhythm. In the silence of the room, all she could hear was the sound of her own heart, beating in tandem with the metronome.

Of course, that was merely a lie. An auditory hallucination that had befallen her following the end of this cursed day. The steel room which she was forced to call her home held no appliance that showed the time. There was no ticking, no heartbeat, no nothing. Only pure silence accompanied her, threatening to drive her insane.

All she could do was stare at the ceiling, barely being able to see it with her adjusted eyes. For a moment, she resented that feeling, because had they not adjusted to the dark, the ceiling would be invisible. For her, it was better to be surrounded by a pitch black abyss than to be reminded that she was somewhere much worse.

Hibiki lay alone, the blanket covering her entirely. The solitude was excruciating; she had not felt this lonely in a very long time. Stuck in a parallel world without anyone to understand her, all she could do was retreat into herself, just like she had done all those years ago. Memories of the two years after the Zwei Wing concert welled up within her, and she struggled to hold herself back from crying.

But eventually, the dam broke. For the first time since she had arrived in this hellish world, she finally cried. The tears stained the dirty satin sheets, and she curled up into a fetal position as she hugged a pillow to herself.

She didn't know what to do. Even her one lifeline, her picture of Miku on her phone's home screen, was unavailable. In her stupor, she had let Elfnein take it, and now she desperately wanted it back.

But she couldn't get it back. No one would listen to her in this messed up reality.

Arrogant.

Naive.

Ignorant.

She had been called all that and more in just a single day. No matter how long she thought about it, she just couldn't understand.

But... was it really her own fault? Was she projecting unrealistic expectations on a world that no longer had any?

Was she trying to bring hope to a world that had none?

She didn't know.

She didn't know if she'd ever know.

But now, alone in the silence and the dark, she understood that it wouldn't even matter.

And so, alone in the silence and the dark, and her eyes stained with heartbroken tears, she drifted off into Morpheus's embrace, dreaming of a better world.

For her dreams were the only place she could now ever feel at home.


End file.
